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WHO wants a shiny new set of nuclear weapons? Hands up, the Bush administration. Who doesn’t? Democrat-controlled Congress.

A statement just submitted to Congress by the Secretaries of Energy, Defense, and State argues that if the “Reliable Replacement Warhead” plan isn’t approved, the US might have to re-test cold war stocks, breaching its moratorium. Critics say the new nukes are not needed and will antagonise other countries. So far, Congress has sided with the critics, slashing the proposed budget and calling for detailed preliminary studies.

Building new weapons and refusing to discuss treaties makes it “hard to convince the world…

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