[AnAmericanAbroad]

Perhaps what Sen. Cruz is thinking is a containment strategy; a cordon sanitaire around Russia. The idea is to prevent Russian expansionism into the former Warsaw Pact nations that are now members of NATO, including the Baltic states, all of which have sizable Russian-minority populations. And it's no secret that Putin uses that as his excuse; he stirs up trouble in a land he covets by using ethnic Russians as agents provocatuers .

[DoodleDawg]

Perhaps what Sen. Cruz is thinking is a containment strategy; a cordon sanitaire around Russia. The idea is to prevent Russian expansionism into the former Warsaw Pact nations that are now members of NATO, including the Baltic states, all of which have sizable Russian-minority populations. And it's no secret that Putin uses that as his excuse; he stirs up trouble in a land he covets by using ethnic Russians as agents provocatuers .

And I am all for supporting the former Warsaw Pact countries as they defend themselves. I would love to see NATO take a lead in this as well. What I don't see the logic behind is spending billions of dollars of our money on a missile system that does not defend us, only others. Which those we would be defending don't want enough to spend their own money on. And which the people in those countries don't want as well. Cruz wants to send a message to the Russians, I understand that. But what kind of message is being sent by acting alone without the support of the people most threatened by Russia, building a system that will take years to complete?