A new philosophy involving arms control treaties between the United States and Russia would worry the late President Ronald Reagan. It should be of concern to Americans who recognize that Reagan had the right idea: Trust, but verify.

Under a 1987 treaty signed by Reagan and former Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev, a "continuous monitoring" system for nuclear missiles was put in place. Russian observers were stationed at a U.S. missile production plant in Utah. Americans watched over missile production at a plant in Russia. That made cheating on the treaty difficult, if not impossible.

But U.S. observers are being removed from the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant where all Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles are built.

The observers are being pulled out because of an agreement concluded between President Barack Obama's administration and Russia in October. But the White House insists that the agreement was made during former President George Bush's administration, and was only finalized in October. The Russian observers already have left Utah.

Partisan politics should not be the focus of discussion about the agreement. It is a bad idea, whether concluded by Republicans or Democrats. Simply trusting the Russians without verifying their compliance with missile treaties is dangerous. The change should not have been made.