Bush Considers Withdrawing From Nukes In Space Treaty
In other campaign news, a veteran observer of the U.S. space program who
has worked with the Bush administration has publicly said Bush is considering
withdrawing from an international treaty that bans nuclear weapons in space. Journalist Frank Sietzen, who recently represented the Bush camp in a policy debate,
told a gathering in Washington, "the administration is reviewing whether or
not we want to be signatory" to the 1967 United Nations Treaty on the Peaceful
Uses of Outer Space. Sietzen's comments were first reported by the National
Journal's Government Executive. A State Department official who spoke on condition of
anonymity said the government no longer agrees with the treaty's provisions against
placing weapons of mass destruction in orbit and using celestial bodies such as the
moon and Mars for non-peaceful purposes.