Well, all the proof the wingnuts need that Obama is a Commie/Islamofascist appeaser can be found in this New York Times story:
WASHINGTON — President Obama sent a secret letter to Russia’s president last month suggesting that he would back off deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, American officials said Monday.
The letter to President Dmitri A. Medvedev was hand-delivered in Moscow by top administration officials three weeks ago. It said the United States would not need to proceed with the interceptor system, which has been vehemently opposed by Russia since it was proposed by the Bush administration, if Iran halted any efforts to build nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.
It may take them a while to get around to it, since they seem obsessed with the Steele/Limbaugh brouhaha, the Glorious Tea Party Rebellion of 2009, and blaming The Fall of the House of Wall Street on Obama, but rest assured, sooner rather than later we will hear them screaming about Obama’s secret deal with Russia and Iran to hand over our “freedums” to the forces of evil on a silver platter. Fortunately, having had 2 small children before, I know how to suffer the whining of narcissistic cry babies. However, this time I must regrettably refuse to change their diapers.
Ps. This is actually a smart idea by Obama. The Russians don’t really want a nuclear armed Iran with missiles on their border, but they’ve been using their non-cooperation during the Bush years as leverage to make Bush abandon his plan to put a missile defense system in Eastern Europe, a part of the world they consider within their sphere of influence. Since a workable missile defense system that could knock out even 75% of the traditional ballistic missiles fired at it is light years, and billions upon billions of dollars, away (and could easily be defeated by other delivery options such as stealth cruise missiles or terrorist infiltration of a nuclear device), this isn’t much of a giveaway to get America and Russia back on the same page vis-a-vis Iran.
My only question on this is why it has has been leaked? Is there a reason to make it public? Is the idea to use public opinion to pressure Russia to accept the deal?
One would assume so. My guess is they are pressuring Putin to come to a decision on better relations with US or a few business deals with Iran.
That makes sense. I’d prefer to do this kind of diplomacy more carefully and wait until an agreement has been reached to make announcements.
Kevin Drum thinks it might be designed to put pressure on Iran. He see’s the leak as a net negative and I don’t think he’s wrong.
A Russian-US deal on missiles, Iran and other things seems like a great example of common sense; no wonder the Republicans are lost and upset. They are programmed to frown upon logic and discursive thought. How else can they screw up so monumentally?
Makes sense to me — the ‘missile shield’ was a dumb idea anyway, and a horribly expensive one.
Especially since one of the excuses to put missile bases in Poland was to defend Eastern Europe from… Iran. (Jon Stewart had a field day with this last night).
I’m hoping that this means the Obama administration and State Dept. are also making quiet diplomatic overtures to Iran as well.
Diplomacy and respectful dialogue instead of cocky belligerence as a basis for international relations — what a concept.
Obama: “We’ll trade our annoyingly stupid, overpriced thing designed to yank your chain for you actually helping us prevent nuclear proliferation in a regime neither of us want to see getting a bomb.”
Medvedev “Ummm….okay, sure. Throw in a Kindle and you got a deal.”
It gives cover to dumping the missile system while using the Republican’s own lame argument that it was aimed at Iran. It puts pressure on Putin to cooperate with us on Iran without Putin saving face. If Putin takes the deal he can claim that he is responsible for getting rid of the missiles in Poland and gives him international stature as a peacemaker and non-proliferater and an equal to Obama. If he rejects the deal he gains nothing and loses ground on his demand that the US remove the missile defense system. Both parties gain stature and neither loses face. A great deal.