And then there was the issue of missile defense.
And there is the equally problematic issue of missile defense, starting with the basic rationale for having such a thing.
Nor is there any link in the treaty to the issue of missile defenses, as Moscow once insisted.
Second, one of the two main Republican concerns with New Start, the issue of missile defense, is helped by the test ban treaty.
Yet for all the upbeat language, and the barbecue Mr. Bush served up on Wednesday night, there was no agreement on the divisive issue of missile defense.
Mr Putin said the two countries no longer looked at each other through gun sights and surprised Mr Bush with new ideas for extensive co-operation on the touchy issue of missile defences.
Mr. Bush himself referred to Mr. Rumsfeld's prominence on the issue of missile defense, citing his work as chairman of the commission, to which Congressional Republicans had appointed him.
A live microphone caught a private moment of candor by President Obama on Monday as he told President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia, during a discussion of the contentious issue of missile defense, that "after my election I have more flexibility".
President Obama found his private moment of political candor caught by a live microphone on Monday as he told President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia that he would have "more flexibility" to negotiate on the delicate issue of missile defense after the November election, which Mr. Obama apparently feels confident he will win.
The United States was also not mentioned by name in a document signed by Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin on Friday promising to work together on the issue of missile defense, calling for caution and warning that the deployment of such systems could endanger national security.
