Is the Bush Administration preparing to break out of the nuclear weapons testing moratorium?
Recent statements and actions by top players within the Administration and its shadow cabinet of unreconstructed Cold Warriors may just be trial balloons to test the waters to see if anyone will object to a resumption of testing and abbrogation of treaties subscribed to by the U.S. If these are only trial balloons, they must be pierced now before they take flight, and the Utah congressional delegation has a moral responsibility to wield the pins. In the last week of June, the Bush team ordered nuclear weapons scientists to study a range of options to “reduce lead times” to resume nuclear bomb explosions at the Nevada Test Site. The weapons laboratories argue that testing is needed to assure that the stockpile is reliable, and some fear that the long lead times to prepare tests give political opponents opportunities to prevent renewed testing. A February 1 report commissioned by Congress bemoaned the deteriorating state of nuclear weapons testing and production facilities, leading the A
