Disappointment over START Treaty delays

Telling the press on Friday that the U.S. and Russia were "quite close" to reaching a nuclear deal, President Obama raised hopes that a follow-on to the START Treaty could be signed when he and President Medvedev met in Copenhagen for climate talks.   Returning empty handed, negotiators reassured the public that an agreement would be reached soon, after differences over verification are ironed out.  In response to reports that the Russians were hoping for concessions that would have enabled President Obama to return from receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, or from Copenhagen, with a deal, Joe Cirincione said in the Washington Post, "they thought Obama would cave. They were wrong."  He told the Wall Street Journal that the Russians are pressing for the lowest possible limit on nuclear-weapons delivery systems, to about 550.