U.S. shelves plan for missile shield in Europe
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39 Comments
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0
rajakumar
US drop of missile shield will boost US-EU-Russia trade ties and other ties.
Good news for all.
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Wolfpack
President Obama buckles under pressure from Putin and leaves our Eastern European allies high and dry. Good news for Irans belligerant leaders.
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TheQuestion
Depending on what you want to believe that could either be a postive step in U.S/Russian relations or it could be percieved as quite condescending depending on the inflection. Considering it's Medvedev my money would be on condescending, the man is Putin's monkey he only thinks in terms of strength and weakness and this was most assuredly not a display of strength.
I agree with using the Aegis system but I would prefer to keep the old system in place as well as adding this new system. Then, once the new system is completed (considering the President has alreay stated that this one should be completed much faster) you can scrap the old one.
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KallyPygous
It is more fiscal than political necessity.
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RomeoRamenII
A great way to observe the 70th anniversary of the 1939 Soviet invasion of Poland by reneging on America's promise to install a missile shield to the fledgling democracies of Eastern Europe.
Obama was reared to be a communist by his mother and others from childhood. His radical associations are only more proof of Obama's hatred of freedom and his fondness for all things communist.
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Sarge
We haven't got the money for a missile shield for Europe, what with all these bailouts and socialized health care.
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zurcronium
Romeo,
I can see you have joined the joe wilson school of racist Obama bashers. All lies and all the time. Just because his IQ is so high you do not have to be so jealous. And he graduated from colllege on time and with honors, try to forget that.
On point, reagan spent billions and billions on a failed starwars missle shield program and bush shoveled more money at it as well. He renamed it for European use to try to make it seem ligit.
The republicans love to waste billions and billions on idiotic space war programs but when it comes to helping Americans who are uninsured or out of work, they get nothing.
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skipthesong
I think this is good. Screw those Eastern Europeans, Russia is too big of a guy to mess with. If they want Eastern Europe, let them have it. Nothing good comes out of those countries anyway.
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TheQuestion
That program was a forerunner of most of the missile defense systems we have today in addition to giving us shiny nuggets of tech like military lasers, powerful sensor equipment, and freaking railguns! Plus it's not like it was just Regans program, Clinton oversaw it for 8 years afterall. Since its inception in 1983 the project has only run up about 100 billion dollars which accounts for something like 3.someoddammount billion a year which is cheaper than most government pet projects.
Of course I'm always in favor of defense spending, I happen to take quite a bit of solace in the fact that my country has bigger, faster, meaner defenses than any other country.
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TheQuestion
Considering that the people of eastern europe are some of the only ones in the world that are actually grateful (for the most part) for U.S protection I would reconsider you're condemnation. They fought like mad to rid themselves of russian control and deserve a lot more credit than you're giving them.
0
M51T
And as another 9/11 remembrance passes it is clear how useless that bigger, faster, meaner defense actually was. Better to spend domestically.
0
WayneRooney10
Zurconium,mate,you said it.Mr Obama's IQ is so high he can't release his academic records!It's a shame only British papers have reported on it,eh.
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TheQuestion
That doesn't even make any sense. How do the attacks have anything to do with the missile defense shield? In addition, how would domestic spending make anybody any safer?
It's the duty of the U.S government to protect its people from outside threats and to uphold the basic rights of its people, it has never been nor should it be anything other than that. Thus my contention with most social programs.
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bushlover
Keeping peaceful ties with the Russians is much more important that putting a bee in their bonnet. The US can maintain it's defense pact with Eastern European nations and not piss off Russia. After all she did the same in the Cuban Missile Crisis. So what's good for the goose...
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Altria
Everyone seems happy! Gordon Brown is over the moon. Sarkozy is doing backflips. Putin stripped off and shot a few tigers to celebrate.
Truly a win-win-win-win proposal. Well done President Obama.
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Wikikibeach
Hey TheQuestion. You should learn one or two of bushlover's post above.
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adaydream
I was against the missile shield from the very beginning. I called it a bad bush decision and hoped that Obama would cancel it. I'm glad he did. < :-)
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SuperLib
Let's see what we get in return from Russia when it comes time to sit down with Iran. Only then will we know if it was a good deal or not.
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Bgood41
Under Obama, the Dictators gone wild; and there is no surprise of the appeasement foreign policy of his administration. Hail to Hugo Chavez, Putin, Fidel and Raoul Castro, Amedenijah of Iran, Kim Jung IL....... America is starting to loose his credibility and the values of its founding fathers. Step by step, Obama is paying back his due to his liberal Kumbaya supporters. Obama is no match for Putin (Obama(0), Putin(1)) and more to come. Afghanistan, Japan pull out .... when?
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RomeoRamenII
Obama turns his back on allies while bowing low to fellow muslims and licking the boots of the world's despots.
Change We Can Believe In
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adaydream
Bgood41
BS... not even you could live under the values of the founding fathers. Look around yourself and your neighbors, most everybody would be unable to live under those values.
Since then we have allowed women to vote and freed the slaves. Under the founding fathers those two changes wouldn't have changed. We changed over time and evolved into what you see today.
We don't have the money to put into this program. If the Chech Republic and/or Poland want a missile shield, they need to pay for it them selves. We don't need to pay for somebody else's missile shield at the expense of programs here in the USA.
If they want it bad enough, they can go into debt for it. They can talk to the EU. That's an idea. < :-)
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skipthesong
Czech Republic and Poland are pissed! goes to show, you need to be a big guy! they need to pay for it them selves" Agreed and that should include all countries that are asking for cash for anything! Put it to the people first!
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skipthesong
Is he going to apologize to Czech and Poland?
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RomeoRamenII
This missile shield was for global security against Iran's nuclear weapons, once they finish building them. Obama's ignorance and inexperience is proving itself once again in this bad decision. Even democrat strategists are scratching their heads in wonder at Obama's latest kow-towing to Russia, Iran and any other country that wants a piece of us and our allies.
Our allies -- and our nation -- are going to come up against another 'Cuban missle crisis' like John Kennedy, another inexperienced president, had on his watch. We were lucky that time. Obama's stupid choices in both our national security and our economy are outrageous blunders. Obama's making all Americans less safe.
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adaydream
Beat them drums for false wars. The republicans are just licking their lips and wishing that Iran would attack some one, anyone.
Crying the Iran nuclear program has turned into a whine.
bush has already given Israel $30Billion for military weapontry. Let them buy it.
I was listening to one talking head today on a FoxNews supporter and he was saying how he could hear the Russian tanks driving down the streets of their cities.
That's when I turned the channel. < :-)
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skipthesong
just licking their lips and wishing that Iran would attack some one, anyone." No, you're hoping they attack Israel. Who you gonna drink with, not them.
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RomeoRamenII
Obama's new foreign policy agenda: kiss our enemies and kick our allies.
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Altria
Actually, England, France and Germany seem pretty happy about it!
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lostrune2
In exchange for more Russian support for sanctions against Iran, the US has to move back on something. Lose some to gain some. We'll see if Russia reciprocates; if not, then the missile shield may go back on the table.
In the meantime, everything is not about the US here. The Eastern European people polls are against the missile shield anyways (kinda like how the US poll is against Obama's public option). The Czech and Polish governments only agreed to it in exchange for more NATO funding. Besides, it's their lands, and if they're wrong, it's them who are gonna get bombed, so let them. If they don't want it, then they don't want it; there's no sense forcing it on them on their own lands.
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ca1ic0cat
Although I never really understood the Russian position on this the threat is Iran. If backing off on the missile defence gets the Russians on board to tackle Iran that seems a fair trade. I expect Putin will renege on the Iran part though. Time will tell.
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RomeoRamenII
Obama on April 5, 2009:
"So let me be clear: Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile activity poses a real threat, not just to the United States, but to Iran's neighbors and our allies. The Czech Republic and Poland have been courageous in agreeing to host a defense against these missiles. As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with a missile defense system that is cost-effective and proven."
Just words. Just speeches.
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Sarge
RR - I'd go even further and say they're outright lies.
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zurcronium
another useless pork-barrel project that was dreamed up by the military industrial marketing folks to get billions to waste of taxpayer money. Only deluded republicans can think this program has any merit at all. It has failed for decades and no amount of money will make it work.
Maybe if we throw a trillion dollars at it, it can find the WMD in Iraq the republicans also believed in so deeply.
0
Sarge
"Maybe if we throw a trilion dollars at it, ( we ) can find the WMD in Ira"
Heck, we threw a trillion dollars at failing companies, and it's all gone down the drain.
0
adaydream
Sarge
The United States is already being repaid back for the loans we made to Wall Street, with interest.
Find those WMD, yet. < :-)
0
TheQuestion
They have no intention of helping on that front. They have already stated as much and view this as the U.S rectifying a mistake they made which does not merit any sort of cooperation on their part. In the meantime most of eastern europe is pissed at what they see as the U.S selling them out to Russia.
Gee, what a nice sentiment. Sorry guys, I know we said that we would watch your backs but, eh, we don't really feel like it anymore. Oh, and if russia decides to shut the gass off on you like they did in Ukraine last winter I guess thats tough luck.
And honestly, the EU? They're almost as useless as the UN.
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grafton
Altria at 03:07 PM JST - 18th September
“Actually, England, France and Germany seem pretty happy about it!”
That’s because all these counties have had the misfortune of having fought along side the US & they know all about US “friendly fire”.
Obama is making this out as some kind of political gesture when in fact it’s all about saving money, money the US needs, but hasn’t got. Besides which Iran’s weapons will never reach the stage of being a threat to the US or Europe, Israel would never allow things to get that far. So maybe the US made a good investment with Israel after all.
0
Blue_Tiger
Thanks, Mr. President, for bailing on our allies -- Especially Poland on the day she was Invaded by 'Mother' Russia seven decades ago -- and showing Mr. Putin "Who's 'really' the 'Boss'".
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