Been Down So Long

The news has been dreadful for months, at least from this liberal's perspective, but I read something this morning which caused me to smile a little. Unfortunately, the news came in an AP article, which means I won't be quoting from the article itself.

Unnamed sources in Poland and the Czech Republic told the AP that President Obama has called leaders in both countries to advise he would be pulling out of the Defense Missile Program agreements with them made by the Bush administration. The plans were for US missiles to be placed in Poland and a radar site to be placed in the Czech Republic, both on Russia's door step. Russian leaders were understandably infuriated by the plan, and this has complicated US-Russian relations since the Bush administration announced the agreements.

Now, as far as I can tell, the Missile Defense System still hasn't been shown to be workable, even when the tests are designed so heavily in favor of the system that failure would seem impossible. The whole idea was based on President Reagan's "Star Wars" fantasy program, sold to him by the military industrial complex decades ago, but as designed it just doesn't work. That didn't stop George W. Bush, by golly, and he pressed forward, ratcheting up tensions with Russia unnecessarily.

One Russian official quoted in the AP article has suggested that the Obama administration's actions are designed to elicit more support from Russia in dealing with Iran. If that is the case, well, then, bravo! We need Russia's help with Iran. Giving up a fantasy system that will probably never work and has cost us billions to get that support sounds like a splendid idea.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is scheduled to give a press conference today, and the anticipated subject is the Missile Defense System. Hopefully Secretary Gates will announce at least the cancellation of these two aspects of the project, if not the shelving of the whole mess.

That would be change I could believe in.