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Obama sacrifices U.S. allies 'on the altar of political expediency'
World Tribune ^ | September 17, 2009

Posted on 09/17/2009 10:57:27 AM PDT by BradtotheBone

I blogged a couple of weeks ago that the Obama administration was about to abandon its plans for Third Site missile defence installations in Poland and the Czech Republic. I wrote then that “if enacted, this would represent a huge turnaround in American strategic thinking on a global missile defence system, and a massive betrayal of two key U.S. allies in eastern and central Europe. Such a move would significantly weaken America’s ability to combat the growing threat posed by Iran’s ballistic missile program, and would hand a major propaganda victory to the Russians.”

It now looks as though the president has surrendered to Russian demands to kill off Third Site. Michael Goldfarb at The Weekly Standard is reporting that:

“According to reliable sources, Obama administration officials are on their way to Poland and the Czech Republic to deliver very bad news. The administration intends to cancel completely the missile defense sites that had been promised to these governments by the previous administration.”

Goldfarb also links to a post by leading defence expert Gary Schmitt, who writes:

“Guess who’s coming to dinner (in Warsaw)? Four senior Obama officials, including Under Secretary of State for Arms Control Ellen Tauscher and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security “Sandy” Vershbow, are apparently in the air right now on their way to Poland. Why? If the Washington hot rumor mill is right, to deliver the news to the Poles and then the Czechs that the administration has decided not to go forward with a missile defense system for Europe and the United States against the budding missile threat from Iran.”

This is bad news for all who care about the U.S. commitment to the transatlantic alliance and the defence of Europe as well as the United States. It represents the appalling appeasement of Russian aggression and a willingness to sacrifice American allies on the altar of political expediency. A deal with the Russians to cancel missile defence installations sends a clear message that even Washington can be intimidated by the Russian bear.

What signal does this send to Ukraine, Georgia and a host of other former Soviet satellites who look to America and NATO for protection from their powerful neighbour? The impending cancellation of Third Site is a shameful abandonment of America’s friends in eastern and central Europe, and a slap in the face for those who actually believed a key agreement with Washington was worth the paper it was written on .


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Russia
KEYWORDS: missledefense

1 posted on 09/17/2009 10:57:27 AM PDT by BradtotheBone
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To: BradtotheBone
...sacrifice American allies on the altar of political expediency. A deal with the Russians to cancel missile defence installations sends a clear message that even Washington can be intimidated by the Russian bear....

It's even worse than that. What purpose of political expediency did it serve, other than the part of the far Left that still hasn't figured out what Stalin was about? And there was NO "deal with the Russians." A deal implies we got got something in return. We didn't.

2 posted on 09/17/2009 11:01:05 AM PDT by La Lydia
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To: BradtotheBone
The thing is, it's not really for "political expediency".

If O'bama had gotten concessions from Russia for abandoning it, I would say it was "political expediency". You could argue whether it was worth it or not.

From Russia he got zilch.

3 posted on 09/17/2009 11:01:37 AM PDT by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: BradtotheBone

Obama is turning our allies in to enemies, and our enemies in to more capable enemies....

AM I THE ONLY ONE SEEING THE TREND, HERE??


4 posted on 09/17/2009 11:02:31 AM PDT by tcrlaf ("Hope" is the most Evil of all Evils"-Neitzsche)
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To: BradtotheBone

This is the wosrt thing he has done, he gave back the countries that democrats let Stalin occupy for 40 years, that Reagan freed winning the cold war. This is on my list.


5 posted on 09/17/2009 11:04:20 AM PDT by sickoflibs ( "It's not the taxes, redistribution is the government spending you demand")
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To: BradtotheBone

Let’s see now. Someone wants to p-off Russia who has the bomb and the missiles in order to protect against Iran who doesn’t? Start the cold war again. Sounds like a plan.


6 posted on 09/17/2009 11:06:14 AM PDT by ex-snook ("Above all things, truth beareth away the victory.")
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To: tcrlaf

Make a list of all the countries that went into Iraq with us and start lining them out as Obama continues raising America’s “stature” in the world.


7 posted on 09/17/2009 11:06:49 AM PDT by massgopguy (I owe everything to George Bailey)
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Comment #8 Removed by Moderator

To: BradtotheBone

Evidently Russia now has VETO power over US interests and actions.


9 posted on 09/17/2009 11:25:43 AM PDT by K-oneTexas (I'm not a judge and there ain't enough of me to be a jury. (Zell Miller, A National Party No More))
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To: BradtotheBone

If GE wants to do business with Russia and Iran, the shield must come down. Seems simple to me.


10 posted on 09/17/2009 11:32:55 AM PDT by Overtaxed Patriot (History, in general, only informs us of what bad government is. - Thomas Jefferson)
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To: BradtotheBone

The second part of that sentence should be that NObama is , by extension, sacrificing the American people and the American way of life, after sacrificing America’s Allies.


11 posted on 09/17/2009 12:24:06 PM PDT by ridesthemiles
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To: F15Eagle

He is a red jihadist..


12 posted on 09/17/2009 12:26:31 PM PDT by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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Comment #13 Removed by Moderator

To: F15Eagle

He may come under Daniel 8:25..


14 posted on 09/17/2009 3:40:55 PM PDT by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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Comment #15 Removed by Moderator

To: F15Eagle

He will fail..


16 posted on 09/17/2009 11:51:16 PM PDT by sheik yerbouty ( Make America and the world a jihad free zone!)
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Comment #17 Removed by Moderator

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