Bush Subsidizes Iran Nuke Program, Congress Subsidizes Nuke Submarines

Back in November we pointed out that the US appears to have lost control of its nuclear policy in relation to Russia. We highlighted that the United States will spend $448M in the FY08 budget on dismantling Russian nuclear weapons, which is a good cause, but by paying for the dismantling it is allowing Russia to spend 10 billion Rubbles, or roughly $411M on new Borei Class ballistic missile nuclear submarines this year.

In other words, while we pay to clean up the nuclear mess left over from the last cold war, we are removing that responsibility from the Russian government, who in turn is building a new round of nuclear weapons. We recommended it was time to take a closer look at the "Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program," which we agree has been very effective in the past, but appears to have run its coarse.

Now we are getting word the Dept of Energy is subsidizing two Russian nuclear institutes involved in the Iranian nuclear program. From the International Herald Tribune:

The U.S. Energy Department is subsidizing two Russian nuclear institutes that are building key parts of a reactor in Iran that the United States spent years trying to stop, according to a House committee.

The institutes, both in Nizhny Novgorod, gave U.S. officials sales presentations describing their capabilities, and listing the Bushehr reactor, which Russia has agreed to fuel, as one of their projects. One institute is providing control systems, including control room equipment, and the other is providing hundreds of pumps and ventilation fans.

The Energy Department is subsidizing the institutes under the Initiatives for Proliferation Prevention, a program set up after the collapse of the Soviet Union to prevent newly impoverished scientists and their institutions from selling their expertise to states that might be developing nuclear weapons. The United States supplements the salaries of scientists, and pays overhead at those institutes, among others.

These reactions are justified, but intellectually bankrupt for reasons to be explained.

"What policy logic justifies DOE funding Russian institutes which are providing nuclear technology to Iran?" the letter asked, referring to the acronym for the Department of Energy. "How does this advance our nonproliferation goals?"

...

In a statement, Dingell, a Democrat of Michigan, said "only this administration would complain about proliferation in Iran, as part of President Bush's axis of evil, and then finance it with American taxpayer dollars." Stupak called it "schizophrenic foreign policy."

These guys are absolutely right, this needs to stop yesterday, but while they are at it Congress needs to look at the whole issue. Congress is doing just as bad (if not far worse) with Russia in regards to the "Nunn-Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction Program" because they are basically removing the responsibility of nuclear weapons from a country already with nuclear weapons. yes, the same country that spent 40+ years in a nuclear weapon showdown against us. Congress can make a fuss about the Presidents $1.5M all day, but it it sounds pretty damn hollow to me when they are spending $448M in FY08 on WMD disposal in Russia at the same time Russia is spending about the same amount this year to build new SSBNs.

Clever bashing of Bush may win a political popularity contest, but it is infinitely absent any wisdom considering Congress is indirectly subsidizing a new ballistic missile submarine fleet for Russia.