Smarter Than The GOP
My visit to Watching America was a brief one this morning, primarily because I found what I was looking for almost immediately. I was interested in seeing what our European allies had to say about President Obama's decision to pull the plug on the Bush administration's Missile Defense System. I suspect this op-ed piece from Germany's Der Tagesspiegel is pretty representative.
...The whole matter revolves around whether or not Iran poses a credible threat. Either Bush is right in maintaining that Iran is making progress working toward a nuclear bomb and the long-range missiles to deliver it at least as far as Israel, Europe and U.S. military bases overseas; in that case, there must be plans in place to counter that whether one likes Bush or not. Or Obama is correct in his new approach: Tehran isn’t making the technological progress they need, as many had feared. In that case, the West can postpone – not abandon - defensive measures and give diplomacy a chance to dissuade Iran from its plans via sanctions and incentives. ...
Obama is considering only those sober facts concerning U.S. interests. He considers the missile shield a technology that doesn’t yet work against a threat that isn’t yet imminent at a cost that would be uncontrollable. Besides that, locating such a shield in Poland and the Czech Republic only serves to hinder any agreement with Moscow concerning heftier sanctions against Iran. The projects in Eastern Europe, therefore, will be halted because their cost is higher than their worth. If a missile defense system becomes necessary, it could be based in Turkey or on naval vessels. [Emphasis added]
Which is essentially what I said here, and what Sec. of Defense Gates and President Obama said on Thursday. And as to the GOP whines about selling out Poland and the Czech Republic, the columnist even has that covered:
...One side effect of the policy change: the disappointment with the United States is pulling Poland and the Czech Republic closer to Western Europe. The chasms opened during the Bush years have been closed at least a little.
Why, yes, I believe that covers things nicely. Too bad the Republicans can't see the light, but considering where their heads appear to be lodged, that isn't too surprising.
...The whole matter revolves around whether or not Iran poses a credible threat. Either Bush is right in maintaining that Iran is making progress working toward a nuclear bomb and the long-range missiles to deliver it at least as far as Israel, Europe and U.S. military bases overseas; in that case, there must be plans in place to counter that whether one likes Bush or not. Or Obama is correct in his new approach: Tehran isn’t making the technological progress they need, as many had feared. In that case, the West can postpone – not abandon - defensive measures and give diplomacy a chance to dissuade Iran from its plans via sanctions and incentives. ...
Obama is considering only those sober facts concerning U.S. interests. He considers the missile shield a technology that doesn’t yet work against a threat that isn’t yet imminent at a cost that would be uncontrollable. Besides that, locating such a shield in Poland and the Czech Republic only serves to hinder any agreement with Moscow concerning heftier sanctions against Iran. The projects in Eastern Europe, therefore, will be halted because their cost is higher than their worth. If a missile defense system becomes necessary, it could be based in Turkey or on naval vessels. [Emphasis added]
Which is essentially what I said here, and what Sec. of Defense Gates and President Obama said on Thursday. And as to the GOP whines about selling out Poland and the Czech Republic, the columnist even has that covered:
...One side effect of the policy change: the disappointment with the United States is pulling Poland and the Czech Republic closer to Western Europe. The chasms opened during the Bush years have been closed at least a little.
Why, yes, I believe that covers things nicely. Too bad the Republicans can't see the light, but considering where their heads appear to be lodged, that isn't too surprising.
Labels: Foreign Policy, Iran, Missile Defense System
posted by Diane at 11:26 AM
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