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September 17, 2009
Obama Scraps Bush-era Missile Defense for New Plan
Inhofe Decries Cancellation of Missile Defense Shield
On the floor of the U.S. Senate, Inhofe expressed outrage that the Obama Administration has cancelled a third missile defense site scheduled to be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic.
Admin Officials Head to Poland, Czech Rep. to Kill Missile Defense
Obama administration officials are on their way to Poland and the Czech Republic to deliver very bad news. The administration intends to cancel completely the missile defense sites that had been promised to these governments by the previous administration. This represents a complete capitulation to Russia's Vladimir Putin, who had demanded that the proposed deployments be halted as a price for improved relations. Ironically, the Obama administration, which is appeasing Russia in the hopes that Moscow will help put pressure on Iran, has made this mammoth concession just a few days after Moscow declared that it had no intention of supporting sanctions against Iran.
The consequences of this action in Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine and in other countries that feel vulnerable to Russian power, will be disastrous. It is a major American retreat in the face of Russian bullying. And we will get absolutely nothing for it.
Obama scraps Bush-era missile defense for new plan
The United States is overhauling Bush-era plans for a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe, based partly on the latest analysis of Iran's offensive capabilities, President Obama said Thursday.
The "new missile defense architecture in Europe ... will provide capabilities sooner, build on proven systems and offer greater defenses against the threat of missile attack than the... program" that former President George W. Bush proposed, Obama said.
Obama said the change of gears was based on an "updated intelligence assessment" about Iran's ability to hit Europe with missiles.
The Islamic republic's "short- and medium-range" missiles pose the most current threat, he said, and "this new ballistic missile defense will best address" that threat.
Gates, speaking from the Pentagon immediately after the president's announcement, denied the United States was "scrapping" missile defense.
"This new approach provides a better missile defense capability for our forces in Europe, for our European allies and eventually for our homeland than the program I recommended almost three years ago," said Gates, who was defense chief in the last two years of the Bush administration and stayed on when Obama took office.
The Bush-era proposal called for the U.S. to set up a radar site in the Czech Republic and 10 missile interceptors in Poland to counter the threat of Iran launching long-range missiles at America's allies in Europe
The Bush administration had cited the perceived nuclear threat from Iran as one of the key reasons it wanted to install the missile shield in Eastern Europe.
But a 60-day review mandated by Congress and ordered by Obama recommended the new approach that was unveiled Thursday.
American officials from Obama on down insisted Thursday's announcement does not reflect any lesser commitment to European defense.
But the U.S. reversal is likely to please Russia, which had fiercely opposed the plan.
Obama has been seeking a stronger relationship with Russia and better cooperation from the Kremlin to support tough U.N. economic sanctions against Iran if it continues to pursue its nuclear ambitions.
There was no immediate comment Thursday morning from Russian officials, although Russia's ambassador to the United Nations grinned when asked if he had heard the announcement. "Oh, yes," the Russian envoy, Vitaly Churkin, said with a smile.
Missile defense has been a sore point in relations between Washington and Moscow, with Russia believing the shield would ultimately erode its strategic nuclear deterrent.
A U.S. delegation held high-level meetings Thursday in Poland and the Czech Republic to discuss the missile defense system. Officials in both countries confirmed the system would be scrapped.
In a statement, Czech Prime Minister Jan Fischer said that Obama told him in a Wednesday phone call that the United States was shelving its plans. Fischer did not say what reason Obama gave him for reconsidering.
A spokeswoman at the Polish Ministry of Defense also said the program had been suspended.
"This is catastrophic for Poland," said the spokeswoman, who declined to be named in line with ministry policy.
Poland and the Czech Republic had based much of their future security policy on getting the missile defenses from the United States. The countries share deep concerns of a future military threat from the east -- namely, Russia -- and may look for other defense assurances from their NATO allies.
House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement today strongly opposing the Obama Administration’s decision to eliminate the U.S. missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic:
“Scrapping the U.S. missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic does little more than empower Russia and Iran at the expense of our allies in Europe. It shows a willful determination to continue ignoring the threat posed by some of the most dangerous regimes in the world, while taking one of the most important defenses against Iran off the table. Since taking control of Congress, House Democrats have cut our missile defense budget by $1.2 billion, undermining our commitment to our allies and weakening our national security. I urge the President to reconsider this ill-advised decision, stand with our allies, and do what’s right for the safety and security of the American people.”
Wild Thing's comment.......
The Leftists will never learn that defense PREVENTS wars.Comrade Barack is taking orders from the Soviets.
Just like Ted Kennedy calling Russia and undercutting Reagan.
This is friggin surreal.
This is nothing short of wicked and evil. Unbelievably shameful. The Marxists in the White House and the State Department have reversed everything we have worked for during the past nearly 30 years. The Eastern Europeans stuck their necks out, trusting us, and we have betrayed them shamefully. This will not end well. I keep thinking of what happened at Yalta, and how we handed those poor people over to Stalin — who then went back on his part of the bargain and enslaved them for nearly half a century. For shame.
“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague”.”
~~Marcus Tullius Cicero
Posted by Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 12:55 PM
Comments
With this announcement Obama has declared Russia the victor, given Iran the green 'go' light to ramp up aggression and has taken a royal Muslim shit on our allies in Poland and the Czech Republic. Oh I forgot one thing, Robert Gates gets an attaboy from the Soutpiel.
“President Obama significantly harmed the national security of our Central European allies today and indeed jeopardized the safety of all Americans in an age of increased weapons proliferation.
“As former Polish President, Lech Walesa said, “The Americans only cared about their interests. They used everybody else.”
I have to agree!!!
Posted by: Jack at September 17, 2009 01:45 PM
I just love the feeling of the words, "COLD WAR," don't you? Gives me the warm fuzzies all over.
What in the world is going on with this administration? Obama just rolled over and played dead. He's Russia and Iran's lap dog.
Posted by: Lynn at September 17, 2009 02:00 PM
I agree WT. Weakness invites attack. The poles need to turbocharge their defense industry since they can't rely on the U.S. Barack put eastern Europe on the yoyo plan, you're on your own.
I'm not convinced that the Arctic Sea fiasco wasn't state supported by Putin. So Barack's red buds are supplying weaponry to Venezuela and likely to Iran. Jimmy Carter II. I think I just heard John Bolton scream.....
Posted by: Jim at September 17, 2009 03:33 PM
This insane ation by obama is a back stabbing for American loving allies in Eastern Europe. Poland has supported us in the War on islamic Terror. Now obama the muslim Marxist is giving them back to Russia. Putin wants to reestablish the USSR and obama seems to like that idea.
Reagan, along with Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul, stayed the course and broke Eastern Europe free of the yoke of Russia. That also gave Russians themselves a taste of capitalism that they embraced.
Now the Hope and Change guy is going to try to reverse decades of Cold War and help to reignite communism in Eastern Europe. obama is going to do much more damage to America than those 19 Saudi hijackers did on 9/11. I hope for some real change in 2010 at the polls.
Posted by: TomR at September 17, 2009 04:59 PM
Mr. "Obama Plans on Disarming America," at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUsVQV3Lhk, short summary of an essentially anti-Reagan defense policy, with a weak QDR and NPR:
-- Mr. Obama don´t support modernization of the US nuclear arsenal, its delivery systems, underground testing, and missile defense.
-- Mr. Obama don´t support modernization of the US Armed Forces.
-- Mr. Obama leaves US more vulnerable to the emerging nuclear threat from North Korea and Iran, betrays Poland and Czech Republic, and weakens the US nuclear umbrella.
-- Mr. Obama don´t has a moral compass, e.g. don´t recognize the real adversaries of US, e.g. AQ/Taliban, Iran, North Korea, China, and Russia.
-- Mr. Obama has no respect for the US Constitution, Freedom of Speech, and the Victims of 9/11/01.
Posted by: Anon at September 17, 2009 06:55 PM
There’s surely a better day to make such an announcement than the 70th anniversary of Stalin’s invasion of Poland.
Posted by: Bart Masterson at September 17, 2009 07:05 PM
When is Congress going to wake up. obama is usurping their power and a 3rd branch of government. So much so that his czars will be making their own laws to destabilize the economy and the country even more than it is.
He's abandoning Poland and Chechslowakia both free Repulics trying to mimic our form of democracy. God help them if there is a Czech obama running around.
Then Biden said, “The whole purpose of this exercise we are undertaking is to diminish the prospect of the Iranians destabilizing that region in the world. I am less concerned — much less concerned — about the Iranian potential. They have no potential at this moment, they have no capacity to launch a missile at the United States of America,” he said.
When has Biden been right about anything. These two dumbasses are opening us up for an attack of huge proportions.
Posted by: Mark at September 17, 2009 07:17 PM
Jack, thank you for McCotter's response.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 11:28 PM
Lynn, good one yes he is.
"He's Russia and Iran's lap dog."
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 11:31 PM
Jim,yes John Bolton must be furious and
frustrated too.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 11:33 PM
Tom good point and your so right.
"is going to try to reverse decades of Cold War and help to reignite communism in Eastern Europe"
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 11:39 PM
Anon, excellent and thank you for the
link.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 11:41 PM
Bart Masterson, thank you for that
information. wow that just
makes it even more horrible!
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 11:47 PM
Mark, your so right and it really is
upsetting.Poland and Chechslowakia
have been concerned about this, there
was a letter they sent soon after
Obama was elected. I could never
find it but one of the talk show
hosts read it and it was so sad.
Poland and Chechslowakia had joined
in writing to Obama to please do not
changed the course.
Posted by: Wild Thing at September 17, 2009 11:51 PM
