Obama Nixes Missile Defense

Nile Gardiner of the Telgraph (UK) calls it a shameful surrender… I have to agree.

I blogged a couple of weeks ago that the Obama administration was about to abandon its plans for Third Site missile defence installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. I wrote then that “if enacted, this would represent a huge turnaround in American strategic thinking on a global missile defence system, and a massive betrayal of two key US allies in eastern and central Europe. Such a move would significantly weaken America’s ability to combat the growing threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missile program, and would hand a major propaganda victory to the Russians.”

It now looks as though the president has surrendered to Russian demands to kill off Third Site.

Pouring salt on the wound, the announcement came on the anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland.

Well, President Bush was right,”This is a dangerous world, & [Obama] isn’t remotely qualified to handle it. This guy has no clue, I promise you.” 

Senator Mitch McConnell issued the following statement with regard to the news:

“The administration’s decision to abandon an important missile defense program for the defense of NATO and our allies in Poland and the Czech Republic, in my view, is both shortsighted and harmful to our long-term security interests.  We must not turn our backs on two loyal allies in the War on Terror.  Further, the administration has secured no apparent commitment from the Russians to work with us to reduce either the missile or nuclear threat from Iran.  More troubling will be if the administration has made these concessions to Russia in pursuit of expediting ill-considered arms control deals.”

True enough, The Wall Street Journal reported today that Russia “welcomed the news but said it saw no reason to offer concessions in return.”

So, Obama, what they hell are you thinking?

What also gets me about this whole thing is that Obama and the Democrats have claimed that Bush was the one alienating our allies and making us less safe. Ain’t that something? After such stupid allegations against Bush, Obama can insult our allies time and time again, end the war on terror, approve of the release of the Lockerbie bomber, and now this — without blinking an eye. Obama has done more to appease our enemies that protect this country and there is no reason why any American should stand for it.

UPDATE, by Mark Noonan: It makes no sense . Why do we even care what Russia thinks? Does anyone seriously contemplate war with Russia? We don’t need an arms control agreement with Russia…we don’t need anything with Russia.

We’re selling out superb allies in order to…what? What the heck are we doing? Is this just rote liberalism? Because liberals wanted arms control agreements with Russia in the 80’s, we must continue to want arms control agreements with them forever? Russia is a dying nation – Putin’s an arrogant ass, but one day he’ll be gone and Russia will face the stark fact that unless we support them, they won’t be able to hold their country against China and Islam. We need give them nothing – but we’re giving them this gift, on the 70’s anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Poland on conjunction with Hitler’s Nazi Germany.

Fool or idiot? More and more, “idiot” is coming to the fore in my view of Obama.