Friday Hope Blogging

I see that Phila hasn't posted his Friday Hope Blogging yet, so I'll put up this one little piece of hope. Actually, I think it's a pretty big one.

Nearing New Arms Pact, U.S. and Russia Look Beyond It

That headline alone is big. There must be a lot of agreement and positive anticipation if both countries are looking beyond the not-yet-finished START agreement. And they expect that it will be completed sometime soon.

The new version of Start would require each side to reduce deployed strategic nuclear warheads to roughly 1,600, down from 2,200, according to a senior American official. It would also force each side to reduce its strategic bombers and land- and sea-based missiles to below 800, down from the old limit of 1,600.

No wonder it's been taking some time. This is big - many of us thought that further decreasing numbers was too much to take on and the treaty should just be extended, with numbers discussed later. But this was Obama's goal for START renewal.

If this is agreed, it will be a good foundation for more to come. I'll take it as a Christmas/solstice present.

And, oh yeah, the roadrunner is back, demanding and eating food.