Posted on 03/23/2009 12:31:34 PM PDT by lizol
US lawmaker: missile threat from Iran exaggerated
By Associated Press Monday, March 23, 2009 - Added 42m ago
WASHINGTON — A candidate for a top nonproliferation post in the Obama administration played down today the threat from Iran’s long-range missile program as a reason to build a European missile defense system.
Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher is under consideration to be undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, a position that has involved shaping policy on U.S. missile defense plans in Poland and the Czech Republic. As chair of a congressional military appropriations panel, she has been a critic of U.S. long-range missile defense systems.
Her comments come as the Obama administration is reviewing the European missile defense plans and has signaled to Russia that it is willing to reconsider them, if the threat from Iran recedes. Russia has adamantly opposed the European plans, which it believes would undermine its nuclear deterrent and encroach on its interests.
Advocates of the U.S. plans in Europe argue that missile defense systems should be urgently deployed to counter Iran, which the United States has estimated could have missiles capable of reaching Europe or America within a decade. Tauscher said that the threat has been exaggerated.
She told a conference on missile defense that the United States and allies should first develop and field short range missile defense systems that could protect forces deployed in combat operations. She said that advocates of the European plans "have been running around with their hair on fire."
"The argument that the U.S. would be naked against an Iranian threat unless we deploy the GMD system in Europe is simply not right," she said, referring to the long range system.
(Excerpt) Read more at bostonherald.com ...
Does anyone have the GPS coordinates of Rep. Ellen Tauscher’s private residence on hand so that we can pass this on to the Iranians? For testing purposes.
Hillary Clinton has picked BFF Ellen Tauscher to be the new Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, and Tauscher’s Fellow Traveler Barack Obama has agreed.
http://www.correntewire.com/hey_ellen_tauscher_don%E2%80%99t_let_door_hit_your_ass_way_out
The List, ping
First of all, I just don't see any way they're going to be able to weaponize their nuclear device. The circuitry, solidification, miniaturization, I don't think they're capable of it.
Secondly, if I'm one of the mullahs, I don't think I'm going to lob my shiny new ding dong missile, or whatever they come up with at Tel Aviv, that sucker's going right at the Saudi oil fields, those sunni infidels, pumping all that black gold.
Hey, put it in place for the future. Just in case lightning strikes and somehow, someway one of those former Soviet birds actually leaves the silo upon them hitting the button, (thanks to 25 years of Russian maintenance, coupled with the incredibly shoddy manufacturing) it'd be nice to have something to down it with rather than let it strike a potato field in Okrug.
Yeah, just like reports of Japan’s military capability were exaggerated before Pearl Harbor.
I’m betting that Mr. A.Q. Khan of Pakistan and his posse are working on the miniturization problem as we speak.
Agreed. Let's all just sit around and think 'happy thoughts' until the incoming threat is 30 minutes away. THEN by golly, we'll roll up our sleeves and......write a letter of protest to the U.N.
She is full of ****
The imaginary mushroom cloud over Iraq has drifted over to Iran. A lot more real things around in Russia and China.
same mentality as those on Sep 10, 2001 saying that Osama was not a threat to the US.
“Hey look, I’m 1000% behind a missile shield for our friends in Eastern (good) Europe, but I don’t think we’re gonna need to use it against Iran.”
It was sold to be against Iran because it can have about zero use against Russia—they’ll lob a cruise missile or chaff device into the Czech radar if they want to.
The stories about phantom Iranian ICBMs on the “drawing board” were even more ridiculous than the stories about NK put out by the Star Wars Part Deux lobby.
I feel safer already.
Well, thank goodness for that. ;-)
“The imaginary mushroom cloud”
IMHO, the selling of imaginary Iranian/NK missiles has been craftier. At least NK blew up some kind of nuclear half-dud.
How dare we find ways to defend this country..
Thanks for posting the video. That was sobering.
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