from Closing Velocity
March 24, 2009
photo edit by Rees
After yesterday's Missile Defense Conference in DC, the corridors of the Hill, the Pentagon and every defense contractor are abuzz with talk about which parts of the US ballistic missile defense system (BMDS) face President Obama's swinging axe. While many focus on the expected elimination of the Airborne Laser (ABL) --- the only gee-whiz Star Wars-y vestige from Reagan's original SDI left in our current system --- a much larger issue appeared, one that strikes at the heart of American security interests and credibility.
During the early, winsome days of the Office of the President-Elect, I gave a heads-up on the unmistakable signal that European-based missile defense against the growing Iranian missile threat was doomed. Chair of the subcommittee which oversees missile defense, Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) made her stance on the planned Polish interceptor base crystal clear:
“I am unwilling to dig holes in Poland and fill them up with untested
rockets."
Tauscher made this strident declaration right before she met with our Polish and Czech allies last December. Guess what? Tauscher is leaving the bloviating world of Capitol Hill behind and moving on to a new endeavor, one where carefully chosen words and delicate phrases actually mean something --- the State Department. Indeed, words are the only thing State produces.
As she awaits confirmation as the new undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, the agency's top arms control negotiator, Tauscher wastes no time in practicing her persuasive diplomatic skills. Don't believe me? Here, let the Iranians themselves gleefully fill you in with a report from the mullah news agency:.
A US lawmaker says an Iranian missile 'threat' has been exaggerated as the White House moves to reconsider a defense shield in Europe.
The White House, under the rule of former President George W. Bush, used the 'threat' from Iran's long-range missile program to push its agenda and deploy a missile defense system in Europe.
Democratic congresswoman Ellen Tauscher, a candidate for a top nonproliferation post in the Obama administration, said that the threat has been blown out of proportion.
“The argument that the U.S. would be naked against an Iranian threat unless we deploy the GMD [Ground-based Midcourse Defense] system in Europe is simply not right,” Tauscher told a conference on missile defense.
After bringing smiles to many faces in Tehran, Tauscher continued:
Tauscher, who has been asked by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to serve as undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said that advocates of the European plans "have been running around with their hair on fire," the Associated Press reported.
And who are some of these mysterious advocates with the blazing hair? None other than the NATO allies Obama tossed under the bus with his "secret letter" to the Russians, the Poles:
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