Our vice president takes a shot at defending the new START treaty up for ratification. I couldn't get past the opening paragraph:
In September 2009, when President Obama decided to alter his predecessor's plans for missile defense in Europe, some critics claimed that we had sacrificed our allies in the interest of the "reset" with Russia. Others thought that we would derail the reset by proceeding with the new plan. The skeptics were wrong on both counts.
Well, let's divide this issue into three parts, so it will be more understandable to the vice president.
One, yes I was upset that the administration appeared to abandon Europe, telling the Poles on a particularly bad day that we were canceling the Bush-era plan. In truth, I was relieved that the administration seemed to calm our new NATO allies with their own missile defense plan.
Two, the new plan eases the worries of our European allies because it really does provide them with protection at an earlier date than the Bush plan would have. However, the Bush plan had the advantage of offering to protect America from Iranian missiles passing over Europe on the way to targets here. This is a sleight of hand argument by Biden. The Europeans had agreed to host a system to defend America (and Canada) along with Europe, and the Europeans are willing to accept a new system that just protects them. This is a foreign policy success?
Three, the Russians were most upset with the capabilities of the Bush system to defend America from Russian missiles as a side effect of being able to defend against Iranian missiles. As I understand it, this Russian worry was wrong since we could not have chased Russian missiles heading over the North Pole. But the Russians had to worry that our system would evolve, I suppose. So while Russia links START offensive limits to our missile defenses, they don't protest too much over the new system that just has the range to protect Europe from limited missiles from Iran. Remember, START lets Russia keep their shorter range nuclear missiles capable of overwhelming the new missile defense system out of the limits we agree to.
So there you go. The vice president doesn't understand the problems with START that he claims were groundless. We will protect Europe from Iran, avoid being able to pose a theoretical threat to Russia's nuclear arsenal, and abandon our ability to shoot down Iranian missiles aimed at us. Silly skeptics!
I honestly couldn't bear to read any more of that article. Hopefully someone else with a stronger stomach than I have will take on the task for me.
