Russia Warns It Could Launch Preemptive Strike on U.S. Missile Defense; WashPost Buries AP Story on A6
"Russia's top military officer told a conference in Moscow attended by senior U.S. and NATO officials that Russia would mount a preemptive strike on U.S.-led NATO missile defense facilities in Eastern Europe if Washington goes ahead with its plan to build a missile shield," the Associated Press has reported.
The Washington Post carried the 5-paragraph story, but buried it on page A6 of the May 4 paper under the headline, "Military ups the ante on missile defense."
"We've heard it before... We think they were showing us what could happen. I think we're far from there, but we're aware of what they're saying," the AP quoted State Department special envoy Ellen Tauscher, reacting to Russian Chief of General Staff Nikolai Makarov's statement.
While it could be little more than "bluster" or posturing from the Russians, the threat of a preemptive strike on U.S./NATO military assets that are purely defensive -- an anti-missile system set to counter threats chiefly from nuclear missile-aspiring Iran -- Tauscher was the only person quoted in the story. No one with a more pessimistic point of view was quoted, despite the fact that a similar AP dispatch published online yesterday at 7:02 p.m. Eastern, quoted Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.):
Meanwhile, U.S. Senator John McCain, on a visit to Lithuania, lashed out at Russia's plans in Kaliningrad.
McCain said using missile defense as an "excuse to have a military buildup in this part of the world, which is at peace, is really an egregious example of what might be even viewed as paranoia on the part of Vladimir Putin."
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Comments
AP story from 2006 - Top Russian General Threatens United States
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 2:57pm.
If this story had happened when Bush was President, it would have been the start of Cold War 2. The New York Times would have printed the story in bigger fonts then when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Kingfish
Submitted by LinTaylor on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 11:59pm.
If this had happened during GWB's presidency, it'd be like the Onion's headline for World War II, which was "WA-" in quarter-page-sized letters, with "Continued on Page 2" just below.
This will be yet another chance
Submitted by c5then on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 3:17pm.
For Obama's foreign policy team to screw up again.
I'm guessing that we will back down and give-in to the the Russian bully attempt in "the name of peace".
This will of course embolden Putin and make him seem more important to the surrounding countries than he otherwise would be.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
They will probably panic and
Submitted by tcm14 on Sat, 05/05/2012 - 4:03am.
They will probably panic and give the missile defense technology over to the Russians so they don't dislike us.
That is because they know
Submitted by John21 on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 3:16pm.
That is because they know that the light weight in the White House would just hide in the corner and whine. Unless he could sick the Seals on them and them claim the victory.
If we had a president with some leadership skill and was not about to be punked and bluffed the dirtbags would not even think about trying the cold war revival.
I don't find the Russian general's comment very alarming
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 3:16pm.
Afterall, there are two big scenarios:
1) The Russians only take out the ABM sites in order to flex some muscle.
2) The Russians take out the ABM sites as the preliminary to launching a missile strike of their own.
IN EITHER CASE, it's the beginning of WW3, because the destruction of the ABM defense must be presumed to be leading to a missile attack. It's a tripwire.
The Russians understand this, so they won't attack the ABM sites unless they intend to launch an all-out nuclear attack.
And any real leader worth anything
Submitted by c5then on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 3:22pm.
Would quickly point this out in public, at maybe a press conference, and thereby slap the Russians down for using hyperbole to try and bully smaller countries into not dealing with NATO.
We've offered the Russians invitations to be a part of this sheild because they are at risk from rogue states and terrorists too. They seem to prefer beligerance and hyperbole to actual protection of their citizens.
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
I'd never share the technology with the Russians
Submitted by Galvanic on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 3:42pm.
I don't even want to share it with our allies. Once the data is shared, it's 100% assured that the system is compromised, and our massive investment goes down the drain.
And frankly, I don't feel particularly safe behind an ABM system designed to shoot down a bullet with a bullet.
The biggest threat to us is not a missile-delivered nuke, but a nuclear weapon smuggled inside our borders.
Yes, the Russians do
Submitted by dscott on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 4:05pm.
Yes, the Russians do understand that any launch of a missile toward a US installation is an act of war. The fact it publicly said it is a probe of Obama's strength of will and leadership ability. If the Obama regime is so foolish as not to respond with a verbal slap down it will dangerously embolden the Russians to make more provocative statements leading to extremely dangerous actions. The failure to respond shows weakness. I suspect the Russians have Obama's mentality pegged, as a liberal they know he cares more what they think of him than what he thinks his strategic position is. In fact, both China's and Russia's stances have been diplomatically/publicly aggressive lately. Obama's back peddling and nice talk only demonstrate they can get away with more of the same.
No Russian general would have dared to make such pronouncements while W was in office.
Contrary to liberal belief: "Pleasing Your Enemies Does Not Turn Them Into Friends". (Small Dead Animals motto) They are your enemies for a reason, they want what you have but are not willing to change their methods to get it the same results you did. If they did, they would copy you, get the same results and be your friend. Jealously is an ugly thing and that's their problem not yours.
"Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil."
Niccolo Machiavelli
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/niccolo_machiavelli.html#KpQ...
"Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking."
Niccolo Machiavelli
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/niccolo_machiavelli_2.html#L...
"...it is a probe of Obama's
Submitted by celator on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 4:34pm.
"...it is a probe of Obama's strength of will and leadership ability."
That is exactly what it is. Putin is publically boxing Obama around, knowing that Obama is a vacillator, weak, and on the ropes. He has no respect for Obama whatsoever.
In this election year, Obama is a boy toy to his basic constituency, the OWS rabble, extreme deep environmentalists, union thugs and all the dead people democrats will resurrect on election day. Putin knows all that.
I hope that the case file Putin has on Obama someday gets released. You can bet they have analyzed him down to what shoe he ties first in the morning, what toothpaste he uses, what his fears are, what he daydreams about and who is telling Obama what to do and say. They know his background better than he does. Putin knows exactly how Obama will react to this latest Russian bluff: he will freeze, be present, look inept and stumble through yet another mess.
Who knows what the SVR
Submitted by dscott on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 6:54pm.
Who knows what the SVR learned from the pillow talk of the Secret Service agents with prostitutes in Colombia and other places. Sexual entanglements is a standard means to pump info from people by intelligence agencies.
Follow up on SVR comment
Submitted by dscott on Sat, 05/05/2012 - 8:55am.
Secret service prostitute says secret information was easily accessible
Woman who says she spent night with an agent speaks about scandal, saying the agents compromised president's security
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/04/secret-service-prostitute-se...
"A woman who says she was the prostitute who triggered the US secret service scandal in Colombia said that the agents involved were "idiots" for letting it happen, and declared that if she were a spy and sensitive information was available, she could have easily obtained it."
This is sheer incompetence and a counter intelligence fail.
Dscott..and let's remember
Submitted by celator on Sat, 05/05/2012 - 9:28am.
Dscott..and let's remember this little caper where the Russian spy Anna Chapman got very chummy with a sitting member of Obama's cabinet. I'll bet that little adventure caused some panic in the White House. Putin must have been laughing his butt off at that one.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/report-russian-spy-anna-chapman-came-clo...
http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/323378/20120403/anna-chapman-russian-spy...
I think Putin understands
Submitted by tcm14 on Sat, 05/05/2012 - 4:07am.
I think Putin understands Obama well, because ideologically speaking Obama is a Soviet, who Putin has been dealing with his entire life.
Where's that respect Obama
Submitted by DontFeedTheTrolls on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 4:00pm.
Where's that respect Obama was supposed to garner with the world?
Nobel Peace Prize!
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Sat, 05/05/2012 - 6:28pm.
Hey! Obama got the Nobel Peace Prize for doing absolutely nothing! He's got as much respect as a four year old T-Ball player gets for striking out and winning the MVP award.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
At least we found out what Baracka meant,
Submitted by UpNorth on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 7:07pm.
when he told Dmitri he'd have "more flexibility" after his re-election. He'll be able to back down much more quickly than if he had to explain this during the campaign. Besides, who's harmed, other than our allies, and they love his smile.
It probably went something like, "pssst, Dmitri, tell Vlad that I'll be able to pull those missile interceptors out as soon as the election is over, just don't push me too much until then"? That was after the mic was turned off.
"pssst, Dmitri, tell Vlad to
Submitted by tcm14 on Sat, 05/05/2012 - 4:09am.
"pssst, Dmitri, tell Vlad to donate to my Super PAC and then he can have Eastern Europe after the election."
Russian attack? No way - Obama be more flexible by then.
Submitted by Gary Hall on Fri, 05/04/2012 - 7:07pm.
Oh gee. We shouldn't worry too much about such a Russian threat to attack US or our allies' assets.
After all, after Nov., Obama will be much in a much better position to be more "flexible," in negotiating for the Russian position.
(;~/ gary
I just Wonder
Submitted by Mutantone on Sat, 05/05/2012 - 12:26am.
If those missile defense plans Putin is talking about are the same ones that Obama gave him a top secret copy of ?