More Flexibility

The election and the North Korean missile tests give Obama the excuse to do what he wanted to do anyway:

MOSCOW — The United States has effectively canceled the final phase of a Europe-based missile defense system that was fiercely opposed by Russia and cited repeatedly by the Kremlin as a major obstacle to cooperation on nuclear arms reductions and other issues.

Russian officials here have so far declined to comment on the announcement, which was made in Washington on Friday by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel as part of a plan to deploy additional ballistic missile interceptors to counter North Korea. The cancellation of some European-based defenses will allow resources to be shifted to protect against North Korea.

...

Russian leaders on several occasions used meetings with President Obama to press their complaints about the missile defense program. At one such meeting, in South Korea last March, Mr. Obama was heard on a live microphone telling the outgoing Russian president Dmitri A. Medvedev in a private aside that he would have “more flexibility” to negotiate on missile defense after the November presidential election in November.

Pentagon officials said that Russia’s longstanding objections played no role in the decision to reconfigure the missile interceptor program, which they said was based on the increased threat from North Korea and on technological difficulties and budget considerations related to the Europe-based program.

Left unmentioned: the clarification that Russian objections played no part in the decision was made during the opening monologue on SNL.

Comments

[peter]

Sniveling traitor. Should be impeached.

[Ignatz Ratzkywatzky]

So I guess that "Reset" button doubles as a missile launcher?

[matt]

I'm sure our Eastern European allies are in agreement.

[Soylent O' Red]

which they said was based on the increased threat from North Korea and on technological difficulties and budget considerations related to the Europe-based program.

Yes, because Iran and Russia pose no threat whatsoever.

And the technological difficulties present in Eastern Europe magically disappear when you deploy the same systems to the Korean Peninsula.

We are being led by Top Men. Top. Men.

[Cecil Turner]

It's hard to evaluate this decision without having a good handle on the capabilities (and technical feasibility) of the different versions of the interceptors, which I don't. But in general, I think it's a bad idea to downgrade defenses in the hope it'll make some prospective aggressor happy.

[Clarice]

OTOH the minute an Iranian missile hits Europe, they'll be begging for a strong US to bail them out---again. (Do uyou get the idea that I dislike Europe immensely?)

[Soylent O' Red]

OTOH the minute an Iranian missile hits Europe

I worry about this statement, not so much on its face, but that Progs are so hell bent on the US being just like Europe.

"And not only do the Europeans and nationalized healthcare, they glow and live in smoking rubble. Isn't that cool? I wish we had that here..."

[Dave (in MA)]

Anybody know what the SNL reference was?

[daddy]

I see my Hagel link on the previous thread should go here:

Meanwhile, over in the United Arab Emirates, their paper has elevated Chuck Hagel, who was a Sergeant in Vietnam, to the Rank of General.

[Jane - Mock the Media!]

Dave,

I continue to wait for your answer. BTW did they catch the shooter you spoke about the other day?

[Extraneus]

I wondered about Jong-un's recent behavior.

"What's that idiot trying to accomplish?"

It didn't occur to me that NK might have been paid to act up, but it does now.

[Lesley]

"I worry about this statement, not so much on its face, but that Progs are so hell bent on the US being just like Europe."

What the Progs love is their idealized and romanticized version of Europe. They spend several weeks or a semester in charming European cities or villages which were built by generations long past, I repeat, long past. There is nothing remotely charming about what Europe is building today. They never visit the carpy suburbs. They are totally clueless about how the average European lives today.

I never wanted the US to be Europe but after having a child making her life in Italy (in which she will become a permanent resident in September by marrying an Italian), any romanticized blinders I once had have been completely ripped off.

[boatbuilder]

They didn't say it was due to the sequester, so they are apparently serious.

[RichatUF]

Ex-

Part of it is Key Resolve (the new name for the joint US ROK military exercise). The second part is that this is a tactic well used by NK of making noise to get more aid. My guess is that it is worse than usual in NK for him to be this odd. Another angle is that the Iranians have a working relationship with them and that the Iranians (and possibily the Chinese) need a distraction. What better way for the Chinese to make whatever sort of moves they want to make than to have Lil' Un slip his leash.

My guess, the Chinese desperately want to be rid of him and the whole NK mess and are letting him act out, until such time as they can be rid of him and install their own NK general. The US, SK, and the rest of Asia will be greatful.

[jorod]

A would-be dictator and a dictator making foreign policy.

[Jane: Mock the Media]

Dave,

Rereading my question above, it looks like I'm demanding an answer from you (quite rudely I might add). I was actually hoping someone answered your question about SNL.Sorry about the way it sounded.

[Captain Hate]

Since Jane is here, I'd like to add one more thing on the Portman back and forth as it relates to something she brought up yesterday. I have a lot more respect for Dick Cheney for the way he's addressed the issue, by answering questions that have been posed to him after others have made a big deal of his daughter's sexuality, while still disagreeing with his conclusion.

[Dave (in MA)]

Jane, I understood your question just fine.

As for the shooting, the cops are being very reticent about it. They probably have a person of interest and need to control the release of info for some reason, but they've been pretty adamant that this wasn't a random incident. It was the first shooting in the town since 2005.

[Jane: Mock the Media]

How close was it to you Dave? Odd that the guy was shot in the neck and lived.

[Captain Hate]

Well here's a shocker: http://minx.cc/?post=338435