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Poll Watch: Strong Support for Missile Defense by Americans Across the Political Spectrum
Political Cartoon by Michael Ramirez
A new Investor’s Business Daily poll says Americans strongly support missile defense.With Iran pressing ahead with its nuclear program and North Korea on Wednesday threatening more test-ï¬rings of intercontinental ballistic missiles, it’s little wonder that Americans across the board say it’s important that the U.S. get a missile defense system up and running as soon as possible. That was obvious from the latest IBD/TIPP Poll, which found Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, and 78% in between afï¬rming the importance of such a system. Yet President Obama has said he will “cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.”
The Poll:
Yet, President Obama, despite wide-spread support by Americans will be cutting the national missile defense program by $1.4 Billion this year.
Mr. President, in light of North Korea’s actions and most recent threats, re-evaluate your position on the national missile defense program. To make the budget cuts you are recommending is negligence in the highest order.
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Obama Dodges And Plays Word Games With America’s National Missile Defense
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, Missile Defense
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Obama Dodges And Plays Word Games With America’s National Missile Defense
North Korean Taepodong-2 missile launch animationSo Says Byron York in today’s Washington Examiner.
In Prague on Sunday, Barack Obama boldly proclaimed that as long as there is a potential nuclear threat from Iran, the United States “will go forward with a missile defense that is cost-effective and proven.” Many observers saw that as a statement of toughness from a president determined to counter Tehran. It turns out it was a carefully-worded dodge from a president with little desire to build a strong American missile defense. Here is the story behind the story:
A few months before the January 2008 Iowa caucuses, a left-leaning group called Caucus4Priorities asked Obama and other Democratic presidential candidates to spell out their positions on defense issues. Caucus4Priorities was an offshoot of a bigger group, the Priorities Action Fund, created by Ben Cohen, the peace activist and co-founder of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The organization hoped to divert billions of dollars in spending from the Pentagon to education, health care, job training, world hunger, and other causes. One of its goals was to put an end to missile defense.
Candidate Obama made a video in response to Caucus4Priorities. “I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems,” Obama said. “I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems…”
Senate Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden have been foes of a national missile defense system for decades.
“This premise, that one day Kim Jong Il or someone will wake up one morning and say ‘Aha, San Francisco!’ is specious,†Senator Joe Biden told AP in May 2001.
Meanwhile in the Senate, Carl Levin (D., Mich.) offered in June to cut off funds for the ground-based interceptor program that Mr. Bush recently activated in Alaska in anticipation of the North Korean launch. Mr. Levin wants to stop new interceptors from being built, but Senate Republicans wouldn’t bring his proposal up for a vote. Mr. Levin has been waging his own private war against missile defenses for a generation, to the point of outflanking Russian objections on the political left.
In May 2001 the Boston Herald’s Woodlief wrote that John Kerry “wants to croak the hugely costly nuclear missile defense system.†And just one day before the 9/11 attacks Joe Biden (D., Del.) gave a National Press Club speech outlining Democrat opposition to national missile defense.
Why should President Obama be any different?
What Obama is practicing is DOUBLESPEAK.
So here is the lesson. When the president says he will “go forward with a missile defense,” don’t assume that he will go forward with a missile defense. Don’t listen to what he said in Prague. Listen to what he said in Iowa.
But, Obama will NOT be able to use Democrat Senator Joe Lieberman for ANY political cover.
Lieberman had begun to sing Obama’s praises in recent weeks, but his song sounded a decidedly harsh note this week. As during the campaign, the latest tension stems from disagreement over national security and foreign policy.
Lieberman, who campaigned for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) last year, has a reputation in the Senate as a defense hawk.
“Cooperation on missile defense is now a critical component of many of our closest security partnerships around the world,†Lieberman wrote in a letter to the president. “We fear that cuts to the budget for missile defense could inadvertently undermine these relationships and foster the impression that the United States is an unreliable ally.
“Moreover, sharp cuts would leave us and our friends around the world less capable of responding to the growing ballistic missile threat.â€Lieberman, a longtime supporter of a robust missile defense program, is the lead signatory on the letter.
Stay tuned…..
Technorati Tags: Missile Defense, Barack Obama, Joe Lieberman
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Folly of the Day: Obama Cuts Missile Defense
Political Cartoon by Michael Ramirez
It was bound to happen. President Barack Obama through his Secretary of Defense has begun reducing the defense budget, including national missile defense.We will restructure the program to focus on the rogue state and theater missile threat.
We will not increase the number of current ground-based interceptors in Alaska as had been planned. But we will continue to robustly fund continued research and development to improve the capability we already have to defend against long-range rogue missile threats – a threat North Korea’s missile launch this past weekend reminds us is real.
We will cancel the second airborne laser (ABL) prototype aircraft. We will keep the existing aircraft and shift the program to an R&D effort. The ABL program has significant affordability and technology problems and the program’s proposed operational role is highly questionable.
We will terminate the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) program because of its significant technical challenges and the need to take a fresh look at the requirement.
Overall, the Missile Defense Agency program will be reduced by $1.4 billion.
In other words, no new ground-based missiles for Alaska where there are already empty silos to base them. The ABL laser program has been almost killed (is on its way out the door) and the MKV program has been killed.
All this after North Korea tests a new ICBM missile which could threaten the Western United States.
Certainly, it could be said that I feel more unsafe today with Obama as my President.
Technorati Tags: Missile Defense, Barack Obama, Robert Gates
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Will the United States Do Anything About North Korea Missile Launch? Secretary of Defense Gates – “NOPE”
Secreatry of Defense Robert Gates on Fox News Sunday yesterdayThe Secretary of Defense has made the Obama Administration’s position on the looming North Korea Taepodong-2 missile test later this week quite clear. They plan to watch and do nothing.
The United States can do nothing to stop North Korea from breaking international law in the next 10 days by firing a missile that is unlikely to be shot down by the U.S. or its allies, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday.
Appearing on “FOX News Sunday,” Gates said North Korea “probably will” fire the missile, prompting host Chris Wallace to ask: “And there’s nothing we can do about it?”
“No,” Gates answered, adding, “I would say we’re not prepared to do anything about it.”
Last week, Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of U.S. forces in the Pacific, said the U.S. is “fully prepared” to shoot down the missile. But Gates said such a response is unlikely.
“I think if we had an aberrant missile, one that was headed for Hawaii, that looked like it was headed for Hawaii or something like that, we might consider it,” Gates said. “But I don’t think we have any plans to do anything like that at this point.”
North Korea has moved a missile onto a launch pad and says it will be fired by April 8. Pyonyang insists the missile is designed for carrying a communications satellite, not a nuclear warhead that the secretive nation appears bent on developing.
Gates said while he doesn’t think North Korea has the capability yet to shoot off a long-range nuclear-tipped missile, “I don’t know anyone at a senior level in the American government who does not believe this technology is intended as a mask for the development of an intercontinental ballistic missile.”
Flap looks forward to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s trip to see Kim Jong-Il to bring him some autographed basketballs like her husband’s Secretary of State did. Maybe Kim will stop his ICBM nuclear weapons program to put them in his trophy case.
How unbelievably WEAK is this crazy Obama policy toward North Korea. The Iranians who are in North Korea taking notes must be laughing their asses off.
Watch the Fox News Sunday panel discuss North Korea’s long range missile capabilities here.
Technorati Tags: Robert Gates, North Korea, Kim Jong-Il
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Shocking: United States Has NO PLANS to Intercept North Korea Missile – Hillary Clinton
Not really a shocker from a Secretary of State whose husband’s Secretary of State used to toast Kim Jong-il and give him autographed basketballs. Yet, the United States has deployed assets off the coast of North Korea.The United States has no plans to shoot down the North Korean rocket, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday in an interview with CNN’s Jill Dougherty, but will raise the issue with the U.N. Security Council if Pyongyang carries out a launch.
“We are doing our best to dissuade the North Koreans from going forward, because it is provocative action,†Clinton said. “It raises questions about their compliance with the Security Council Resolution 1718. And if they persist and go forward, we will take it up in appropriate channels.â€
Flap’s bet: Japan WILL shoot down the missile while Obama and Hillary try to talk it out of the sky with the United Nations.
Technorati Tags: North Korea, Hillary Clinton, Kim Jong-il, Missile Defense
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United States Deploys USS McCain and USS Chafee With Aegis Anti-Missile Technology Off North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il (C) visits to the construction place for the Heechon power plant at an undisclosed place in North Korea, in this picture released by North Korea’s official news agency KCNA March 26, 2009. North Korea has put a long-range missile in place for a launch the United States warned would violate U.N. sanctions already imposed on the reclusive state for past weapons tests
The United States Navy has stated that two destroyers (USS McCain and USS Chafee) which are fitted with Aegis anti-missile technology have left port in Japan to patrol the waters off of North Korea in the event of a missile launch.The US Navy spokesman said the two destroyers – the USS McCain and USS Chafee – equipped with Aegis technology capable of tracking and destroying missiles had left Sasebo port in southwestern Japan. “I would say we are ready for any contingencies,” he added.
And, Japan has previously stated that they would shoot down the Taepodong-2 missile should North Korea launch it (Target dates: April 4 – 8).
Stay tuned…….
Technorati Tags: North Korea, USS McCain, USS Chafee, Kim Jong-il, Missile Defense, Aegis
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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Warns North Korea Over Taepodong-2 Missile Launch
Musudan Ri, North Korea, formally know as Taepo-dong missile launch facility, the area where North Korea rocket launch facility is located is seen in this satellite image by DigitalGlobe taken on March 23, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Mexico City today warned North Korea that a Taepodong missile launch would have consequences.U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday a potential missile launch by North Korea would be a provocative act that would have consequences for talks on Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
Clinton’s comments came as a U.S. official said North Korea had positioned what is believed to be a long-range ballistic missile on a launch pad in what could be a preparation for a launch.
“We have made it very clear that the North Koreans pursue this pathway at a cost and with consequences to the six-party talks which we would like to see revived and moving forward as quickly as possible,” she told reporters on a visit to Mexico City.
“This provocative action … will not go unnoticed and there will be consequences,” she said.
Flap previously noted that North Korea was readying the Taepodong-2 missile for launch and that the missile threatened Alaska, Hawaii and parts of the Western continenetal United States.
Japan has threatened to shoot down the North Korean missile but the United States does have Aegis missile defense assets in the region.
As for US intercept plans, the Navy left two Aegis missile defense ships behind from the armada sent to the Sea of Japan for war games. Could the US shooter be the USS John S. McCain?
Now that Hillary has issue the warning of consequences will the United States deploy its missile defense assets and shoot down the missile or will they merely suspend the 6-party talks should they launch?
The scheduled test is due in the April 4 – 8 time frame.
Will this be President Obama’s fitst major test as President?
Technorati Tags: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Taepodong-2, North Korea
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North Korea Readies Taepodong-2 Missile for Launch – Obama Begins the End of Missile Defense?
Satellite image of Musudan Ri, North Korea, taken on February 17, 2009. North Korea has positioned what is believed to be a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile on its launch pad at a facility in Musudanri, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday, citing “sources close to Japan-U.S. relations.”
North Korea is preparing a Taepodong-2 ICBM missile which could threaten Alaska, Hawaii and the Western United States for testing within a few weeks.North Korea has positioned a Taepodong-2 missile on the launchpad at its facility in Musudan in the east of the country, U.S. officials told NBC News on Wednesday.
Pyongyang has said it intends to use the missile to launch a satellite into space. The North Koreans issued an international notice that the launch may occur sometime between April 4 through the 8th.
According to the U.S. officials, while two stages of the missile can be seen, the top is covered with a shroud supported by a crane.
But now that the missile is on the pad, the launch itself could come within a matter of days, a likelihood that has sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity as the event would be in violation of a U.N. ban prohibiting the country from ballistic activity. Some fear the launch is a cover for the test-fire of long-range missile technology.
North Korea has described the pending launch a “peaceful space launch,” but U.S. officials and experts say it would employ the very same technology used to launch ballistic missiles, and if successful it would be the first proof that North Korea would have the ability to launch a ballistic missile against at least Alaska or Hawaii.
Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair testified before Congress that a successful test of a three-stage rocket would demonstrate North Korea’s ability to reach the continental United States with a ballistic missile.
Japan has threatened to shoot down the North Korean missile but the United States does have Aegis missile defense assets in the region.
As for US intercept plans, the Navy left two Aegis missile defense ships behind from the armada sent to the Sea of Japan for war games. Could the US shooter be the USS John S. McCain?
And, what was the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff saying the other day:“Ballistic missiles are about as passé as sea mail. Nobody does it anymore.â€
The Democrats, including President Obama have never been big fans of the missile defense agency or the concept of national missile defense that accelerated its work under President Bush. But, why now, with an imminent threat would the United States begin to scale back its program and eliminate deployments of interceptors.How stupid……
Technorati Tags: North Korea, Missile Defense, Taepodong-2
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Japan Threatens to Shoot Down North Korean Missile
Japan today threatened to shoot down a North Korean missile or “SATELLITE LAUNCHER.”
Tokyo’s warning that it would deploy its multibillion-dollar missile defence system raised tensions in the region after North Korea said that it had identified a potential “danger area” near Japanese territory along the rocket’s flight path.
The regime told the International Maritime Organisation that the missile would be launched during daylight between 4 and 8 April, and that its boosters would fall into the Sea of Japan – about 75 miles (120km) from Japan’s north-west coast – and the Pacific Ocean.
Officials in Tokyo said they reserved the right to destroy any threatening object in mid-flight, despite North Korean warnings that it would consider such a move an act of war.
“Under our law, we can intercept any object if it is falling towards Japan, including any attacks on Japan, for our security,” Takeo Kawamura, the chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.
This North Korean satellite launcher is widely suspected to be a test of a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile with a range that threatens Alaska and Hawaii.
The Taepodong-2 long-range missile is estimated to have a range of between 5,000 and 6,000 km, putting Alaska, Hawaii and parts of the west coast of the US within range.
But the first launch of the missile, in July 2006, appeared to be a failure after it crashed within seconds of launch – according to US sources.
If the missile was successfully launched, it is not thought to be particularly accurate or to be able to carry a large warhead.
Like the Taepodong-1, it requires a fixed launch site.
The Taepodong-2 test took place from the Musudan-ri complex on the East coast of the Korean peninsula. Analysis of satellite images of the area appear to show a range of missile fabrication, fuelling, testing and control facilities.
Japan’s threat is not surprising but the United States has their missile defense Aegis fleet in position and they have been conducting joint-training exercises.In a move to strengthen its missile defense against North Korean missile threats, the U.S. Navy has deployed more warships equipped with the Aegis Combat System for this year’s Key Resolve/Foal Eagle joint military exercises with South Korean forces than it did before, according to a news report.
According to the report, the U.S. Navy dispatched seven of its Aegis warships to the eastern coast of Korea to conduct exercises with South Korea’s 7,600-ton Sejong the Great Aegis destroyer during the annual combined command-post/joint field training exercises March 9-20.
Officials of the Korea-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) declined to comment on the report, citing the issue’s sensitivity.
The Aegis warships, used in intercepting high-flying ballistic missiles with advanced SM-2 or SM-3 ship-to-air missiles, are part of the U.S. multi-layered missile defense shield. The Aegis system built by Lockheed Martin is the world’s premier surface-to-air/fire-control system, capable of simultaneous operations against aircraft, ballistic and cruise missiles, ships and submarines.
Should North Korea proceed with the test either Japan or the United States WILL attempt to shoot down the missile.
North Korea’s last test failed or so it is reported. Flap always suspected espionage or successful deployment of a stealth missile defense as the reason for failure.
Exit question: Will North Korea which has certainly received the attention of the new American President push the envelope?
Technorati Tags: North Korea, Missile Defense
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North Korea Warns United States About Counterstrike And War Over Missile/Satellite Test
North Korea has issued the warning and will this be the first foreign policy test of President Barack Obama?North Korea warned Monday that any move to intercept what it calls a satellite launch and what other countries suspect may be a missile test-firing would result in a counterstrike against the countries trying to stop it.
“We will retaliate (over) any act of intercepting our satellite for peaceful purposes with prompt counterstrikes by the most powerful military means,” the official Korean Central News Agency quoted a spokesman of the General Staff of the Korean People’s Army as saying.
If countries such as the United States, Japan or South Korea try to intercept the launch, the North Korean military will carry out “a just retaliatory strike operation not only against all the interceptor means involved but against the strongholds” of the countries, it said.
“Shooting our satellite for peaceful purposes will precisely mean a war,” it added.
North Korea earlier announced it is preparing to put a communications satellite into space, but outside observers suspect it may in fact be a test-firing of a long-range ballistic missile.
The United States with its Aegis missile defense system could be deployed against the North Korea missile test which is masquerading as a space satellite launch. But, will Obama order the confrontation that could lead to another Korean War?
Obama and his Democrat allies in the United States Senate like Kennedy, Kerry and Levin, plus vice President Joe Biden have never been fond of a national missile defense program that is now operational and protecting the Western United States from a North Korean nuclear ICBM launch. Now, will Obama use it against a legitimate threat to America?
Stay tuned……
Technorati Tags: North Korea, Aegis, Missile Defense