Isn’t anybody over at Zero Hedge old enough to remember the Cold War? Geesh, people...
Soviet/Russian nuclear weapons have been a threat to “wipe out” the United States for as long as I can remember, and I was born when Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States. It is not news.
What is news is that 0bama and Clinton are willing to risk violating Rule #1 of the Unwritten Rules of the Cold War. Rule #1 is American and Soviet/Russian forces do NOT shoot at each other. Our proxies can shoot at each other, and we can shoot at each other’s proxies, but we do not shoot directly at each other. The whole point is crossing that line can lead to a nuclear exchange.
0bama/Clinton are willing to risk crossing that line in Syria, and with it risk a nuclear exchange. All over something that is not our direct concern. Trump opposes this.
So now who is the person who would pursue a “reckless” foreign policy?
No enemy would destroy DC.
The O admin, not only handed Putin everything that he wanted on all-important missile defense and nukes, including the Iran nuke deal, which Putin loves and claims to have played a major role in, he (Obama) practically took apart our military. So don't so easily fall for the smoke and mirrors BS coming from the Russians, or this administration. The facts speak for themselves...
____________________________________
From the campaign trail, 2008...
A video has surfaced of Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama talking on his plans for strategic issues such as nuclear weapons and missile defense.
The full text from the video, as released, reads as follows:
Thanks so much for the Caucus4Priorities, for the great work you've been doing. As president, I will end misguided defense policies and stand with Caucus4Priorities in fighting special interests in Washington.
First, I'll stop spending $9 billion a month in Iraq. I'm the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning. And as president I will end it.[i.e. not win it]
Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending.
I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.
I will not weaponize space.
I will slow our development of future combat systems.
And I will institute an independent "Defense Priorities Board" to ensure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending.
Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons; I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material; and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off hair-trigger alert, and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals.
You know where I stand. I've fought for open, ethical and accountable government my entire public life. I don't switch positions or make promises that can't be kept. I don't posture on defense policy and I don't take money from federal lobbyists for powerful defense contractors. As president, my sole priority for defense spending will be protecting the American people. Thanks so much.
Article: Obama Pledges Cuts in Missile Defense, Space, and Nuclear Weapons Programs:
http://web.archive.org/web/20090412030633/http://missilethreat.com/archives/id.7086/detail.asp
"MissileThreat.com is a project of The Claremont Institute devoted to understanding and promoting the requirements for the strategic defense of the United States."
__________________________________________________________
From Investor's Business Daily, Jan 2012:
Appeasement: From ObamaCare to recess appointments, honoring the Constitution has not been an administration hallmark. But when it comes to betraying secrets to mollify the Russians, it becomes a document the president hides behind.
It was bad enough that the 2012 defense authorization bill signed by President Obama set America on a downward spiral of military mediocrity.
He also issued a signing statement, something he once opposed, saying that language in the bill aimed at protecting top-secret technical data on the U.S. Standard Missile-3 - linchpin of our missile defense - might impinge on his constitutional foreign-policy authority.
Section 1227 of the defense law prohibits spending any funds that would be used to give Russian officials access to sensitive missile-defense technology as part of a cooperation agreement without first sending Congress a report identifying the specific secrets, how they'd be used and steps to protect the data from compromise.
The president is required to certify that any technology shared will not be passed on to third parties such as China, North Korea or Iran, that the Russians will not use transferred secrets to develop countermeasures and that the Russians are reciprocating in sharing missile-defense technology. ..."
"In his signing statement, Obama said he would treat these legal restrictions as 'non-binding' and that 'my administration will also interpret and implement section 1244 (sic) in a manner that does not interfere with the president's constitutional authority to conduct foreign affairs and avoids the undue disclosure of sensitive diplomatic communications.'
Betraying our secrets is easy for a president who betrayed allies Poland and the Czech Republic to placate Moscow.
Poland was to host ground-based interceptors such as those we've deployed in California and Alaska, with missile-tracking radar deployed in the Czech Republic.
Obama pulled the plug when Moscow objected. Never mind, he said, we have a better approach: a four-phase plan that calls for using three versions of the Navy's Standard SM-3 interceptor missile that forms the backbone of its Aegis missile-defense system.
The fourth phase consists of a missile still on the drawing board scheduled for deployment by 2020, a version of the SM-3 called the Block IIB. It would intercept hostile missiles in the "early intercept" phase before an enemy missile could release its warheads and decoys. The Russians want the SM-3's secrets, and Obama appears to be willing to turn them over.
The president wants to save the New Start Treaty, which the Russians have threatened to abandon if we try to fully implement President Reagan's dream of defeating a nuclear missile attack.
Russia has unilaterally asserted that any qualitative or quantitative improvement in U.S. missile defenses would be grounds for withdrawal from the treaty.
Read More At Investor's Business Daily:
http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/010912-597158-obama-gives-russia-missile-defense-secrets.htm#ixzz3jXmMbVwY
___________________________________________________
March 2012...
"Obama was talking with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev when neither of them realized that their conversation was being picked up by microphones. Here is what they said:
Obama: "On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but it's important for him to give me space."
Medvedev: "Yeah, I understand. I understand your message about space. Space for you ..."
Obama: "This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility."
Medvedev: "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir."
"This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility." That statement tells us much about the president's mindset.
The specific mention of missile defense is worrisome enough. Mr. Obama has retreated from the missile defense plan that was negotiated with European allies during the George W. Bush administration.
Apparently, he is signaling Moscow that he intends to retreat further. The clear implication from the president's comments is that he cannot tell the American people before the election what he plans to do after the election.
In addition, there is the phrase "on all these issues," implying more is at stake than just missile defense."
Article: Obama plans double cross on missile defense
When it comes to keeping America safe, we shouldn't be too flexible:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/mar/29/obama-plans-double-cross-on-missile-defense/print/
__________________________________________________________
Is this the Czar bomb?
Or something worse to lose sleep over?
When Donald Trump and I observe that, as Ive said, in Syria, in Iran, in Ukraine, that the small and bullying leader of Russia has been stronger on the world stage than this administration, thats stating painful facts. Thats not an endorsement of Vladimir Putin thats an indictment of the weak and feckless leadership of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
______________________________
Also from the Oct 5, 2016 first VP debate...
QUIJANO (Moderator): I want to turn now to Syria. Two hundred fifty thousand people, 100,000 of them children, are under siege in Aleppo, Syria. Bunker buster bombs, cluster munitions, and incendiary weapons are being dropped on them by Russian and Syrian militaries. Does the U.S. have a responsibility to protect civilians and prevent mass casualties on this scale, Governor Pence?
PENCE: The United States of America needs to begin to exercise strong leadership to protect the vulnerable citizens and over 100,000 children in Aleppo. Hillary Clintons top priority when she became secretary of state was the Russian reset, the Russians reset.
After the Russian reset, the Russians invaded Ukraine and took over Crimea.
And the small and bullying leader of Russia is now dictating terms to the United States to the point where all the United States of America the greatest nation on Earth just withdraws from talks about a cease-fire while Vladimir Putin puts a missile defense system in Syria while he marshals the forces and begins look, we have got to begin to lean into this with strong, broad-shouldered American leadership.
It begins by rebuilding our military. And the Russians and the Chinese have been making enormous investments in the military. We have the smallest Navy since 1916. We have the lowest number of troops since the end of the Second World War. Weve got to work with Congress, and Donald Trump will, to rebuild our military and project American strength in the world.
But about Aleppo and about Syria, I truly do believe that what America ought to do right now is immediately establish safe zones, so that families and vulnerable families with children can move out of those areas, work with our Arab partners, real time, right now, to make that happen.
And secondly, I just have to tell you that the provocations by Russia need to be met with American strength.
And if Russia chooses to be involved and continue, I should say, to be involved in this barbaric attack on civilians in Aleppo, the United States of America should be prepared to use military force to strike military targets of the Assad regime to prevent them from this humanitarian crisis that is taking place in Aleppo.
Theres a broad range of other things that we ought to do, as well. We ought to deploy a missile defense shield to the Czech Republic and Poland which Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama pulled back on out of not wanting to offend the Russians back in 2009.
QUIJANO: Governor, your two minutes are up.
PENCE: Weve just got to have American strength on the world stage. When Donald Trump becomes president of the United States, the Russians and other countries in the world will know theyre dealing with a strong American president.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/06/us/politics/vice-president-transcript.html
______________________________
And....
PENCE: What were dealing with is the you know, theres an old proverb that says the Russian bear never dies, it just hibernates.
And the truth of the matter is, the weak and feckless foreign policy of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has awakened an aggression in Russia that first appeared a few years ago with their move in Georgia, now their move into Crimea, now their move into the wider Middle East.
And all the while, all we do is fold our arms and say were not having talks anymore.
To answer your question, we just need American strength. We need to we need to marshal the resources of our allies in the region, and in the immediate, we need to act and act now to get people out of harms way.
This is a very serious situation, and I certainly believe we could blunder right into a nuclear war. Absolutely.
After Reagan negotiated the end of the Cold War President Bush made a deal with the Russians that in exchange for them abandoning expansionism we would not enlarge NATO to their former Eastern Europe satellite nations. I dislike PResident Bush intensely but he nailed this one. It was the right thing to do for all concerned. Too bad we didn’t stick to it as Clinton promptly starting bringing in all those countries into NATO. Basically, we brought in 13 more countries into NATO and have ringed bases around Russia. BIG TIME DOUBLE CROSS. And then put missile interceptors in Poland while telling the Russians these were for our own defense from Iranian missiles. Lie.
Then here lately the US (in Putin’s view, and I think he is right) facilitated the removal of a pro-Russia government in Ukraine and helped install a regime friendly to the expanded NATO thus potentially blocking off their access to a warm water port. Why are we doing all of these provocations? Does anyone believe that Russia is trying to take over the world, now? Well, the Neocons who have controlled US foreign policy since the Clinton Administration no matter what party controlled Congress or the White House certainly think that. Or perhaps more precisely they believe the US should smack down any country in the world who tries to do anything that challenges the supremacy of the US.
And now here we are interfering in Syria, which so clearly is just the setting of a new proxy war between US and Russia. Russia is there at the behest of Assad — that is clear. We are not. Russia is slaughtering ISIS. We are not. In fact, we are trying to protect them from slaughter because they are working to overthrow Assad. Bad idea. Just like it was to overthrow Kadaffhi in Lybia, Hillary’s other terrible idea. So now we are threatening to shoot down Russian planes in Syria to enforce a no fly zone? Terrible idea? Seriously, we want to risk a nuclear confrontation over Syria! Retarded and insane. We should leave Syria and never bother with it again. Inmy view basically a vote for Hillary is a vote for continued provocation of the Russians and a vote for WAR.
I know there are many on FR that believe that the Russians are super-evil again, and who think Putin hates the West and all that stuff, but frankly I am quite sympathetic to the point-of-view that says the US is at fault in this relationship and has been for some time. Russia should and could be a great ally in the fight against Islamic terrorism. If we were serious about this fight we would join forces. But instead we just want to use the fight against Islamic terrorism as a pretense to create chaos and confusion everywhere but especially in Syria right now.
Electing Trump — someone with wisdom and no ties to the evil and stupid neocons — would be a huge first step to restoring some sanity to our foreign relations. A vote for HRC is a vote for nuclear war, basically.
IMO, BOTH Putin and Obama-Clinton are engaging in “wag the dog”, smoke and mirrors, BS in an attempt to rally voters around HER and the current admin. Because, fact is, it was the Obama-Clinton admin who handed Putin everything he wanted on all-important missile defense and nukes, including the Iran nuke deal which Putin loves and claims to have had a major role in. This while Obama practically decimated our military. All things an increasingly aggressive and expansionist Russia could possibly hope for.
Putin’s ‘big picture’ goal is to ultimately grab control of the entire oil/gas-rich strategic Middle East, in addition to his ongoing attempts at re-taking Eastern Europe. In my view, Obama was intentionally weak and ineffective going after ISIS in order to afford Putin this huge and long-sought opportunity.
I don’t know why they are talking about the east coast. The Russians have have well over 1800 nukes ready at a moment’s notice, and the entire nation would be destroyed in minutes (as would theirs).
The whole point of huge nuclear arsenals is to achieve mutually-assured destruction (MAD).
Here’s a list of US Metropolitan Statistical areas, there are only 300-some odd places, and hitting them all wouldn’t be difficult. We can also assume that every power plant, dam, military base, etc would be targets.
A full-scale thermonuclear war is inconceivable and unwinnable. We don’t want it, and the Russians don’t want it. It would obliterate civilization.
"according to some calculations, the Uranium One deal, involving top Clinton donors Frank Guistra and Ian Telfer, has transferred as much as 50 percent of projected American uranium production to Kremlin control."
***********************************************
RUSSIAGATE
Who paid Bill Clinton's $2.5 million commission and $500k speaking fee for brokering the sale of 20% of America's uranium deposits to Russia?
You are speaking about a really interesting deal that ended up giving Vladimir Putin and the Russians control of one-fifth of all uranium production capacity in the United States.
Since uranium is considered a strategic asset, with implications for national security, the deal had to be approved by a committee composed of representatives from a number of United States government agencies. ..."
From Real Clear Politics, Sept 10, 2015...
"In a 2014 New Yorker interview, Obama said his goal was to create a 'new equilibrium' in the Middle East.
In the short run, at least, his signature diplomatic undertaking can be counted on to bring more violence to this volatile region.
The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the [Obama-Putin Iran deal] agreement is formally known, provides the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism an infusion of somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 billion of unfrozen assets and a great deal more of continuing revenues as businesses and governments around the world rush to profit from oil-and-gas-rich Iran's reintegration into the world economy.
The agreement relaxes the international isolation of the Islamic Republic and ratifies Tehran's status as a nuclear threshold state. And it relieves restrictions on Iran's acquisition of weapons, including ballistic missiles. ..."
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2015/09/10/iran_deal_throws_sparks_on_mideast_tinderbox_128034.html
___________________________________________________
Aug 2015
BY: Bill Gertz
October 10, 2014
Russia is moving tactical nuclear weapons systems into recently-annexed Crimea while the Obama administration is backing informal talks aimed at cutting U.S. tactical nuclear deployments in Europe. ..."
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/russia-deploying-tactical-nuclear-arms-in-crimea/
*******************************************************************
Donald Trump slammed President Obama Thursday on TODAY for failing to take a stronger line against President Vladimir Putin in dealing with Ukraine, saying he feared Obama would now make up for lost time with imprudent moves to "show his manhood."
The real estate mogul and reality-TV star, who has criticized Putin for sending military troops into Crimea, said Obama must now take fierce steps to prevent the situation from escalating further.
"We should definitely do sanctions and we have to show some strengths. I mean, Putin has eaten Obama's lunch, therefore our lunch, for a long period of time," Trump said. ..."
http://www.today.com/news/donald-trump-putin-has-eaten-obamas-lunch-ukraine-2D79372098
*******************************************************************
Ignore the red and orange lines. They were already on the map when I downloaded it.
Russia would cease to exist, what would be the point???
There’s a fawning Putin Fan Club here I suspect would be fine picking Russia over the US.
Russian nuke subs alone could turn the East Coast into a carbon field. Within minutes of a shooting war Russia will kill satellites/everything in Earth’s orbit up to and including geosynchronous orbit. The modern era of civilization will end. The first wave of nuclear ICBM strikes will kill 100 million Americans as population is concentrated in major cities. Another 75 million will die with 72 hours. In places which could survive blast, e.g., NORAD, Russia has direct targeting of it planned and will have he 200 miles around it glowing with radiation for centuries. Anyone in there has to stay in there or they will die quickly.
In the words of Donald Trump, “Wouldn’t it be nice to get along with other countries for a change?” I’d only add, especially Christian ones fighting Islamic terrorism.
Well if that happens, may all of Congress be in session.
This is news? And if you ask me, with the airspace intrusions Russia has been making in Alaska and on the West Coast, me thinks that coast would be vanquished a close second behind, if not simultaneously with DC.
Unless of course, America had an operational missile defense system.
You know, like the one President Obama killed over the last 8 years.
Sounds good to me!
Putin destruys the NE coast in 20 minutes then what? Our boomers surface and Russia no longer exists. Russia is not Iran. They don’t have a death wish.
Not going to happen.