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| Home Front: Politix |
| Cheney Last Night |
| 2009-10-22 |
| Excerpts from Remarks by former Vice President Dick Cheney Center for Security Policy So among my other concerns about the drift of events under the present administration, I consider the abandonment of missile defense in Eastern Europe to be a strategic blunder and a breach of good faith. It is certainly not a model of diplomacy when the leaders of Poland and the Czech Republic are informed of such a decision at the last minute in midnight phone calls. It took a long time and lot of political courage in those countries to arrange for our interceptor system in Poland and the radar system in the Czech Republic. Our Polish and Czech friends are entitled to wonder how strategic plans and promises years in the making could be dissolved, just like that -- with apparently little, if any, consultation. Seventy years to the day after the Soviets invaded Poland, it was an odd way to mark the occasion. You hardly have to go back to 1939 to understand why these countries desire -- and thought they had -- a close and trusting relationship with the United States. Only last year, the Russian Army moved into Georgia, under the orders of a man who regards the collapse of the Soviet Union as the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century. Anybody who has spent much time in that part of the world knows what Vladimir Putin is up to. And those who try placating him, by conceding ground and accommodating his wishes, will get nothing in return but more trouble. What did the Obama Administration get from Russia for its abandonment of Poland and the Czech Republic, and for its famous "Reset" button? Another deeply flawed election and continued Russian opposition to sanctioning Iran for its pursuit of nuclear weapons. In the short of it, President Obama's cancellation of America's agreements with the Polish and Czech governments was a serious blow to the hopes and aspirations of millions of Europeans. For twenty years, these peoples have done nothing but strive to move closer to us, and to gain the opportunities and security that America offered. These are faithful friends and NATO allies, and they deserve better. The impact of making two NATO allies walk the plank won't be felt only in Europe. Our friends throughout the world are watching and wondering whether America will abandon them as well. Big events turn on the credibility of the United States -- doing what we said we would do, and always defending our fundamental security interests. In that category belong the ongoing missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the need to counter the nuclear ambitions of the current regime in Iran. Click through to see video of the entire speech And this quote by Frank Gaffney Re: Cheney Last Night [Frank Gaffney] Dick Cheney demonstrated last night before the Center for Security Policy audience that he is far and away the most competent, to say nothing of the most robust, statesman in the country today. His critique of Obama's conduct of foreign and national-security policies was both withering and absolutely on point. Now, we need those who are still in government to translate Cheney's admonitions and prescriptions into policy. And this about a report the Bush Adm did for the Obama transition teams -- Recently, President Obama's advisors have decided that it's easier to blame the Bush Administration than support our troops. This weekend they leveled a charge that cannot go unanswered. The President's chief of staff claimed that the Bush Administration hadn't asked any tough questions about Afghanistan, and he complained that the Obama Administration had to start from scratch to put together a strategy. In the fall of 2008, fully aware of the need to meet new challenges being posed by the Taliban, we dug into every aspect of Afghanistan policy, assembling a team that traveled to Pakistan and Afghanistan, reviewing options and recommendations, and briefing President-elect Obama's team. They asked us not to announce our findings publicly, and we agreed, giving them the benefit of our work and the benefit of the doubt. The new strategy they embraced in March, with a focus on counterinsurgency and an increase in the numbers of troops, bears a striking resemblance to the strategy we passed to them. They made a decision -- a good one, I think -- and sent a commander into the field to implement it. Now they seem to be pulling back and blaming others for their failure to implement the strategy they embraced. It's time for President Obama to do what it takes to win a war he has repeatedly and rightly called a war of necessity. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #2 Our Polish and Czech friends are entitled to wonder how strategic plans and promises years in the making could be dissolved, just like that -- with apparently little, if any, consultation. Seventy years to the day after the Soviets invaded Poland, it was an odd way to mark the occasion. But if you are inclined towards Marxism/Communism as many in the current administration seem to be, it make a lot of sense. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2009-10-22 14:57 |
| #1 Anybody who has spent much time in that part of the world knows what Vladimir Putin is up to. At least Putin is thinking of what might be in the best interests of Russia. That's more than I can say for Obama wrt the USA. |
| Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 2009-10-22 13:09 |