A change in the United States plans for an anti-missile shield in Europe will not prompt Russia to drop its opposition to the system, a senior lawmaker allied to President Vladimir Putin said on Sunday.
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said on Friday the Pentagon would add 14 new anti-missile interceptors in Alaska, among others, after North Korea had threatened a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States.
To free up funds for that, U.S. officials said they were forgoing development of a new interceptor that would have been deployed in central eastern Europe and has been a focus of Russia's concern that the shield would weaken its nuclear deterrent.
You know what I'm not reassured about? Russian concern that we might be able to prevent them from nuking us. I'm funny that way. Britain doesn't worry about our missile defense plans. Not even France worries about our missile defense plans. Russia? They worry about our missile defense plans. Add them to North Korea in the "worried about our missile defense plans" category.
Ah, the Russians. They're a full-employment plan for the American Psychiatry Association, aren't they?
UPDATE: The Chinese pipe up:
"The anti-missile issue has a direct bearing on global and regional balance and stability. It also concerns mutual strategic interests between countries," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a daily news briefing.
Hey, I have a notion for you supposedly patient, deep thinkers in Peking who excel at long-range planning: supporting your little pet psycho regime was a bad idea that had a direct bearing on global and regional balance and stability. You don't like our missile defense plans (because you want the option to nuke us, obviously)? Maybe you should have thought of that logical outcome of propping up your brutal little friend.
And let me take another swing with the clue bat: fail to rein in North Korea and you might face nuclear-armed Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, Thailand, and Singapore. Oh, how silly to think of poor Philippines going nuclear? Right? North Korea is doing it. If they can, anyone can given enough time.
When you think about it, North Korea going nuclear leads to a number of logical consequences. I guess those lines of thought are beyond the capacity of the communist rulers of China. Reasonably enlightened though they may be.
