Big day for Russia, big day for liberals, bad day for Europe.
The President took the podium this morning to explain reports that the United States is pulling out of plans to build a strategic missile defense system in Poland and The Czech Republic. He said that the Bush administration plan has been reviewed and recommended for cancellation, but that he had a new plan for a “new missile defense architecture in Europe.” He then passed the floor to the Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, who held a press conference at the Pentagon.
The Secretary began by explaining the background of the issue and how the original plan came to fruition back in 2006. He then said that there was a change in intelligence that led the administration to seek a new plan. He went on to say that the new plan was better than the one that he recommended to President George W. Bush in 2006. He was emphatic that this was not a plan to ”scrap missile defense” and said that characterizing the move as such would be to misrepresent the real story.
Listening to the President, and the Secretary Gates, did however make it difficult to figure out what that plan really was here. I am inclined to believe that if Gates says this plan is not “scrapping missile defense” that it is not; but I still can’t gather what the new plan really is as of yet. Here’s what I was able to sift from their two press conferences earlier today. They said it would be more mobile and sea-based. They said it would be ready to roll out faster than the 2017 date projected under the old plan. They said it was in reaction to changes in intelligence regarding Iran’s short and medium range weapons programs. They said it did not weaken the US commitment to our allies in Europe. They said that the President reaffirmed our pledge under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
The bottom line here is that we may have to wait a few days to gather more information on what the new course of action truly is. Its not like they are yanking missile silos out of Poland and putting them in the back of a U-Haul. Even the old plan was still in its infant stages. What this story does mean is that the United States has given a major victory to Russia even if the administration attempts to downplay the role our former Cold War rival played in this. While the move may genuinely be a reaction to Iran’s missile programs alone, the news stories in Russia are likely to be reported with a different tilt. Russia has been adamently opposed to this system since it was only a whisper and will see this as a major victory for a nation struggling to claw back to power.
This decision has major political implications in Poland and the Czech Republic as well. Their political leaders put their respective necks on the line allowing this thing to go forward even when the overwhelming majority of their electorate wanted nothing to do with it. I am sure they will have fun explaining this one in the days to come. They couldn’t live without it two years ago and now they don’t have it. Not a favorable position to have to explain.
My question is, what did we get out of this deal? We took our rockets out of Poland and our radars out of the Czech Republic, and what did we get in return? Could we not have a mobile sea-based system and the original plan? Of course we could and we would if this president wasn’t a proud progressive focused on improving our nation’s image in the global community.
This has to be a great day in Russia. We get a cocky chuckle from them and a pat on the back from liberal progressives in Europe and here in the states, and our allies get stuck figuring out why we won’t provide the system that we told them they needed. Big day for Russians, big day for liberals, bad day for Europe, and could mean a really bad day for us down the road.
So why does any of this even matter? Why do we need a missile defense shield in Europe?
The first place anyone seeking an answer to that question needs to look to is Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty that created – NATO – (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). For those of you who still think it stands for North AMERICAN Treaty Organization, perhaps this was a good place to start. Here’s the language.
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence recognised by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
In case you needed translation there; basically, if someone attacks a NATO member -we are at war. If someone attacks us, they come to war with us. Its really pretty simple and ridiculously complicated at the same time. What it really means is that WWIII is a heartbeat away if anyone fires a mortar round into Turkey or Slovenia. Sounds great right?
In total, there are 28 member nations that make up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Here is the list. Some may surprise you.
Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States.
I have no doubt that this story will be covered with great depth now that the administration has taken the posture that this plan is bigger and better rather than a scrapping of the Bush administration plan. Since the mainstream knows that conservative outlets will be covering the story, expect to hear a great deal about this story with details of how great it will be. Get used to hearing about how mobile this thing will be from the mainstream and the Popular Rule.
HERE IS THE PRESIDENT FROM EARLIER
Listen to this progressive nutbag and how happy he is that Obama made this move
Thank you for putting the extra information on here. I am one of those people who thought NATO was North American.
NP Laura. We try to keep it simple around here. You are not alone. Trust me.
Look at this link. Its the first one I clicked on.
“opting instead for a more mobile system that he said would “provide stronger, smarter and swifter defenses of American forces and America’s allies.”
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2009/09/president-obama-announces-new-missile-defense-plan-will-be-stronger-smarter-and-swifter.html
Scott thanks for adding that. I took a look at it and its just about what I expected. Stronger, Smarter, Swifter!! Popular Rule at its finest. Thanks again.