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White House to Scrap Bush’s Approach to Missile Shield
Slimes ^ | 9/17/2009 | PETER BAKER and NICHOLAS KULISH

Posted on 09/17/2009 7:09:46 AM PDT by balls

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration plans to announce on Thursday that it will scrap former President George W. Bush’s planned missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic and instead deploy a reconfigured system aimed more at intercepting shorter-range Iranian missiles, according to people familiar with the plans.

President Obama decided not to deploy a sophisticated radar system in the Czech Republic or 10 ground-based interceptors in Poland, as Mr. Bush had planned. Instead, the new system his administration is developing would deploy smaller SM-3 missiles, at first aboard ships and later probably either in southern Europe or Turkey, those familiar with the plans said.

The White House will announce the decision Thursday morning and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who was first appointed by Mr. Bush, will then discuss it with reporters at 10:30 a.m. It amounts to one of the biggest national security reversals by the new administration, one that will upset Czech and Polish allies and possibly please Russia, which adamantly objected to the Bush plan. But Obama administration officials stressed that they are not abandoning missile defense, only redesigning it to meet the more immediate Iranian threat.

“The way forward enhances our homeland defense and protects our forces abroad as well as our European allies,” said an administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid upstaging the announcement by Mr. Gates. “Our review has been driven by an updated intelligence assessment of Iran’s missile programs and new advances in our missile defense capabilities and technologies.”

Administration officials said the Bush missile defense architecture was better designed to counter potential long-range missiles by Iran, but recent tests and intelligence have indicated that Tehran is moving more rapidly toward developing short- and medium-range missiles.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; Russia
KEYWORDS: bhoussr; conspirator; criminal; hesacommunist; iran; newyorkslimes; nyslimes; obama; poland; russia; sovietunion; treasonous
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To: balls

My apologies to Poland and the Czech Republic.


81 posted on 09/17/2009 8:18:41 AM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights (Good 'Ol Mr. Wilson!!)
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To: chuck_the_tv_out

Outstanding composition.


82 posted on 09/17/2009 8:19:16 AM PDT by BilLies
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To: Thermalseeker
Today marks exactly, to the day, seventy years since the Soviet Union invaded Poland.

Holy shit....and we set the stage for it again today.

83 posted on 09/17/2009 8:21:15 AM PDT by Protect the Bill of Rights (Good 'Ol Mr. Wilson!!)
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To: Protect the Bill of Rights

Some have said Obama doesn’t know history and the Russians picked this date. Having watched this narcissistic b——— in action a few months, he knows what this date means exactly and is thumbing his nose at freedom-loving people everywhere.


84 posted on 09/17/2009 8:23:58 AM PDT by John W
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To: balls

I like this version better

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2341504/posts

The MSM added Bushes name to make it somehow sound political like all the boogie man Bush did was bad, so 0bama the false messiah can appeal to his own left wing.


85 posted on 09/17/2009 8:24:12 AM PDT by Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid! (Obama, the first ever 3 in a half year, lame duck TOTUS)
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To: Thermalseeker

Don’t forget this action tells the Israelis a lot too.
The United States will cut you off in a minute.


86 posted on 09/17/2009 8:25:10 AM PDT by BilLies
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To: IrishMike

Thank you for the catalogue of all my frustration and feelings of helplessness while watching my country disintegrate before my eyes.


87 posted on 09/17/2009 8:25:14 AM PDT by this is my country
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To: Grampa Dave

Time for Eastern Europe to organize their own self defense systems.

No help from their former friends now.


88 posted on 09/17/2009 8:28:47 AM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: John W

Interesting comments on that blog. I tend to agree with those who say we can’t afford it. And that Europe should defend itself.


89 posted on 09/17/2009 8:30:34 AM PDT by Huck ("He that lives on hope will die fasting"- Ben Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac)
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To: george76
Time for Eastern Europe to organize their own self defense systems.

Amen. Why should we do it?

90 posted on 09/17/2009 8:31:03 AM PDT by Huck ("He that lives on hope will die fasting"- Ben Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac)
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To: BilLies
Don’t forget this action tells the Israelis a lot too.

Yep. Although I don't think Israel has a whole lot of choice in the matter. They have to act or face annihilation, with or without the USA's approval. Israel finds themselves between a rock and a hard place. If they act, war will certainly be declared against them by a much larger aggressor(s). If they don't act they'll likely get nuked by Iran sometime in the next few years. As an old acquaintance of mine used to say "When it gets down to you or me, you gotta go!" .....

91 posted on 09/17/2009 8:32:39 AM PDT by Thermalseeker (Stop the insanity - Flush Congress!)
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To: george76

“Time for Eastern Europe to organize their own self defense systems.

No help from their former friends now.”

That is very obvious with this announcement.


92 posted on 09/17/2009 8:33:50 AM PDT by Grampa Dave (Does 0b0z0 have any friends, who aren't traitors, spies, tax cheats and criminals?)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

And it comes on the 70th Anniversary of the Soviet Invasion of Poland.


93 posted on 09/17/2009 8:37:05 AM PDT by Kozak (USA 7/4/1776 to 1/20/2009 Reqiescat in Pace)
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To: nina0113
If America’s word is only good until the next election, maybe monarchy wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Obama believes we have a monarchy, and that he is the King.

94 posted on 09/17/2009 8:39:12 AM PDT by TruthShallSetYouFree (Kenya tell me where Obama was born?)
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To: balls
but recent tests and intelligence have indicated that Tehran is moving more rapidly toward developing short- and medium-range missiles.

And what about in ten years timeframe, what kind of missiles will Iran be hosting then? This administration can be shortsighted to a fault.

95 posted on 09/17/2009 8:40:16 AM PDT by eclecticEel (The Most High rules in the kingdom of men ... and sets over it the basest of men.)
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To: TruthShallSetYouFree

Yeah, that’s the problem with monarchs - how do you get a good one? And what do you do if he turns bad?


96 posted on 09/17/2009 8:54:11 AM PDT by nina0113 (Sign seen at the rally: "Don't Tell Obama What Comes After Trillion".)
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To: balls
I think I posted something when Obama made that amateurish overture to the Soviet..., I mean Russians, soon after he came into office that the U.S. would abandon missile defense in Europe for help with Iran. If I recall, I opined that the Russians knew they didn't have to give an inch, and Obama would still kill the program.

So, in the course, of a week, we have caved to North Korea, caved to Iran, betrayed our best European allies, knifed Honduras in the back, and sucked up to an American hating dictator in Venezuela. Nice.

97 posted on 09/17/2009 8:58:38 AM PDT by NavVet
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To: balls

Can we really wait for 2012?


98 posted on 09/17/2009 8:59:03 AM PDT by Dream Warrior (Never underestimate the POWER of an ARROGANT Marxist President and Congress!)
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To: Huck

The shield never had anything to do with defending those two countries. It would have defended all of Europe.


99 posted on 09/17/2009 8:59:25 AM PDT by NavVet
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To: NavVet

Screw Europe. Let em defend themselves.


100 posted on 09/17/2009 8:59:54 AM PDT by Huck ("He that lives on hope will die fasting"- Ben Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac)
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