Posted on 09/05/2006 6:14:15 AM PDT by IrishMike
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has a suggestion for those who still doubt we should be building a missile defense system. In my interview with him last Thursday, Mr. Rumsfeld said, "All anyone has to do is read the words of the leadership in [North] Korea and Iran, and look to their behavior with respect to the development of ballistic missile technologies and nuclear capability." Even for those of us who have been supporters of missile defense since President Reagan announced it in 1986, Mr. Rumsfeld's mild admonition is good advice.
Examining Mr. Rumsfeld's examples -- Kim Jong-il's North Korea and Ahmadinejad's Iran -- proves the point. "The [Korean People's Army] will go on with missile launch exercises as part of its efforts to bolster deterrent for self-defense in the future, too." It added, "The DPRK will have no option but to take stronger physical actions of other forms, should any other country dares take issue with the exercises and put pressure upon it." As if to prove Mr. Rumsfeld's point, North Korea's Deputy Chief of its mission to the United Nations said on June 21, "North Korea as a sovereign state has the right to develop, test fire and export a missile." (Note the lack of qualifiers. The North Koreans don't have European manners, so they don't bother to make a perfunctory statement about exporting only to those whose surnames aren't bin Laden or Nasrallah or Ahmadinejad.)
Mr. Ahmadinejad is smarter and cagier. In a long news conference on August 30 (reported by the Financial Times), Ahmadinejad continued to deny Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons "I think the time has passed to settle problems through using the Security Council as a tool....
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
Although we've made great strides, I have to say that it looks to me like the missile defense at this point is really nothing better than a charade to make our enemies think we might be able to stop their missiles while mounting a counterattack.
I would be impressed, though, if we could shoot down the next North Korean missile test.
IMO, the heart of the Rumsfeld bashing has nothing to do with military losses but the reformation of the Pentagon.
It passed before it started.
Maybe we could get Rumsfeld and Cheney on the ticket for '08 ;) It's nice to dream.
I would be impressed, though, if we could shoot down the next North Korean missile test.
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While still over North Korea, with the Iranian delegation of observers standing beside ill Kim.
Actually .. the ability of the UN to do anything never existed!
So which is it.....great strides or a charade. Guess in your 'brilliance' you haven't quite decided.
It's both. Before, we could not hit the side of a barn. Now we say that we can hit the barn about 1/2 the time. That is really not a meaningful defense, even if true, but if it creates some doubt in the minds of our adversaries...
And it is creating that doubt that is our main strategy at this point.
The time to use the UN Security Council as a diplomatic mechanism to stop Iran's nuclear weapons program has passed.
It passed before it started.
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What got my attention with that statement was who made it !
None other that MacMad I'madipshit himself.
Actually .. the ability of the UN to do anything never existed!
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I'm not a fan either.
That would be awesome. The mere suggestion of it would send about half the left into spasms heretofore unheard of!
Count me in.
It was a lofty idea .. but it's never lived up to the hype.
Ok, if Cheney's not up to it, given his health, etc., we could substitute John Bolton.
Anybody have a pic of the Rove/Rumsfeld 2008 sticker? It's the one with Rove thumbing his nose.
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I don't have it, wish I did.
Of couse the barn is going a lot faster than your average barn.
This is obvious to anyone who has ever worked on a major aerospace/defense development contract. It's a fact. You must go through this phase. There's no other way.
Our space program is a prime example. In the late 50's we were launching one rocket after another in an attempt to put a satellite in orbit. The rockets kept blowing up on the launch pad or exploding in mid air. It was extremely frustrating.
The movie "The Right Stuff" depicts the history of this effort fairly well.
That really isn't the point. A credible missile defense negates/mitigates the deterrent or blackmail threat posed by NK and Iran. Both of these countries realize that launching a direct nuclear strike against the US or its allies will result in national suicide for them. Their objective is to limit US involement in their countries and region.
The biggest threat to the US from NK and Iran is that they will provide terrorist surrogates with nuclear weapons with the risky miscalculation that the US would be unable to retaliate against non-state actors.
bttt
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