Among the many challenges facing Barack Obama, military spending will be one of the toughest, not only because of the essential questions involved, but because of the political ramifications. At the merest suggestion that he's "weak on terror" or "anti military" or whatever hammer the right wing chooses, Obama will be jumped on by them like a choirboy at a Ted Haggard convention. And yet there's an obvious opportunity, if only the neocons would close their mouths and open their eyes.
Star wars. The missile shield. That craziest of ideas, that thorn in the foot that marches toward peace. That distraction, that flier in the face of reality, that sprinkling of fairy dust around the front door while the back door is wide open.
Costing gazillions and showing effectiveness only when the game is rigged, the missile defense system has, to date, served only to fracture relations with the Russians, with whom, sooner or later, we need to find reconciliation. (Not so, of course, say the wingnuts.) And now, there's an opening. Win-win: we get to save billions on a foolish system, the Russians get a bone tossed, the world says goodbye to a couple more weapons, everyone's happy. Everyone is by any measure better off.
It's obviously the right thing to do. And just as obviously, there will be screams from the right. Hannity and Limbaugh and Coulter and O'Reilly -- my god, can you even imagine??
I'm not saying it's the ultimate litmus test for PEBO. But if he does kibosh the system, he'll have shown more wisdom and strength than even I could have hoped for, and prove he really is the real deal.
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Funny how the only Anti Ballistic Missile System in the world is just outside Moscow...the U.S. hasn't had one for 30 years. Can't wait till the next 9-11 Commision investigating how Iran or North Korea was able to hit the U.S. with a single ICBM...yeah, Blame it on Bush...beat the rush.
ReplyDeleteAnd there, readers, you have it. QED.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to learn to sing Kum By Ya in Chinese as well. And maybe know the words in North Korean, just in case.
ReplyDeleteThis is the "the world will be a safer place when America is less secure" argument. I'm against it. Bring on the anti-missiles!
Whats QED mean? "Frank Drackman's right and I can only answer with some abreviation thats other Ivy League Educated Eggheads will understand"?
ReplyDeleteThe Ivy League is actually a sports division of eight schools. Why does everyone think these are good schools? Most every undergrad class is taught by TAs. The real profs only teach the grad schools, which are pretty good. I hear a Harvard MBA is the sign of a genius.
ReplyDeleteQED: that which was to be deduced has been demonstrated.
ReplyDeleteOK, I wikied "QED" looks like its an authentic term, looks like just a fancy way to say "I Know you are but what am I?" and how do you say it anyway, pronouncing the letters individually Q-E-D, or phonetically, and shouldn't there be a "U" after the "Q" if y'all so damn smart? Go around sayin' that in Georgia and you'll be writin it after gettin your Jaw wired...and anyways, sayin it doesn't make you write, the ONLY Anti Ballistic Missile system in the World is the one defending Moscow, the U.S. doesn't have one, hasn't had one since 1977...and if y'all like abbreviations so much, try this one.....
ReplyDeleteJBM
Journalistic Bowel Movement? To describe your comments? Too harsh, even for me.
ReplyDeleteHere's the deal, Frank: the system doesn't work, except when the interceptors know the launch time and trajectory of the attacker. Not only that, why would a country launch a missile at us, knowing we'd know exactly where it came from, and obliterate them? Our missile defense: Trident submarines.
Finally, people can bring the necessary parts of a nuke in suitcases. There's the real danger: let's work on that instead.
So you don't only want an Anti Ballistic Missile System, you want to do away with Suitcases?? Isn't it enough I have to buy like 150 cigarette lighters a year now?? Should Cops not wear bullet proof vests just because a 30:06 round will blast right through them???
ReplyDeleteQED
Frank