Thursday, January 25, 2007

Your Objection is Duly Noted

The Russians have armed Iran and have helped Iran in its drive for nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. We have proposed putting anti-missile systems in Eastern Europe to defend against that threat. The Russians have protested.

I noted:

I hate to point out the freaking obvious to the good Colonel General Popovkin, but if his blasted country wasn't helping the Iranians get nuclear weapons we wouldn't really worry about putting missiles into Europe to defend ourselves and our allies, now would we?


We have duly noted Moscow's objections:

Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry A. Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency, rejected Russian claims that the U.S. plan would upset the security balance. Russian officials have warned of the possibility of countermeasures.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday that U.S. systems being considered could not be directed against Iran because that country has no intercontinental ballistic missiles and will not have any in the future.

Obering, speaking to reporters in a telephone briefing, said that while Iran poses no long-range threat to Eastern Europe today, "we have to stay ahead of what we think that threat is."


You'd think Russia has enough problems without annoying potential allies by arming our enemy and then complaining when we defend against that enemy.