The White House lashed out at Senate Republicans threatening to delay a vote on a new nuclear arms treaty with Russia, accusing them Wednesday of toying with national security for the sake of "political stunts." One Republican senator, Jim DeMint, has said he will demand a full reading of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, if the Democratic leadership in the upper chamber tries to force a vote on the pact, dpa reported. The White House fired back, with spokesman Robert Gibbs saying the treaty has been publicly available for more than eight months and that reading it on the Senate floor is a waste of time. "It is the height of hypocrisy to complain that there is not enough time to consider this treaty, while wasting so much time reading aloud a document that was submitted to the Senate months ago," Gibbs said. Republicans have argued that consideration of the pact should be delayed until the next session of Congress opens in January, saying there is not enough time for a proper debate as the Senate heads into holiday recess. DeMint's spokesman issued a statement saying his boss could ask for New START to be read in the chamber, which would take an estimated 12-15 hours to complete. Typically, senators agree unanimously to waive the reading of legislation before a vote in order to save time.
