LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Kill the sleeping Law of the Sea treaty

OPINION:

I was gratified to see the report that 34 U.S. senators have signaled opposition to the U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea and that the convention is dead (“DeMint: Law of the Sea Treaty now dead,” Web, July 16).

The truth is, however, that as long as this flawed, overrated and unnecessary convention remains on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee calendar, it is not dead — it is only sleeping. And like Count Dracula, it will rise from the grave again in a future Congress unless one of the following occurs: The Senate votes to send it back to the president unratified or the president formally withdraws the convention from the Senate. I think the latter could be the path of lesser resistance, if only we could find a president with the intestinal fortitude to withstand the howls of outrage that will be heard from law schools and chambers of commerce across the land.

Personally, I would like to see “withdrawal of the Convention from the Senate” on GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s to-do list for Day One of his presidency.

RICHARD J. DOUGLAS

Former chief counsel, Senate Foreign Relations Committee

College Park