U.S. Congress has passed Barack Obama"s...
always wanted to do a signing," he said.In view of the Americans" love of symbolic gestures and the White House PR department"s desire to add symbolism to the president"s addresses, the signing should be expected on April 5, exactly a year since he committed the United States to seeking "a world without nuclear weapons" in Prague.
So, Prague April 5 could see Obama going from word to deed in his foreign policy, where he has recently not been too successful. One of his biggest flops was the Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu"s visit to Washington. Their exchange at that meeting was so candid that the White House banned journalists from attending it, cancelled the planned news conference, and did not post the de rigueur photos taken in the Oval Office.
In short, the START treaty could save the day for Obama. But it will be a breakthrough document only compared to the previous treaty, and a half-opened door as regards everything else.