Romney Doesn't Need Medvedev to Transmit Anything to Vladimir, He'll Tell Him Himself

Awesome.

Remember when Obama was caught on an open mic telling Russian President Dimitry Medvedev that he would have more latitude to make deals with him after the election?



I think my favorite part of that was when Medvedev said "I will transmit that information to Vladimir" with an accent that sounded like Boris and Natasha.

Well, Romney decided that he wasn't going to sneak around about it and he wasn't going to pussy foot it, he put Russia on notice today:

The size of our Navy is at levels not seen since 1916. I will restore our Navy to the size needed to fulfill our missions by building 15 ships per year, including three submarines. I will implement effective missile defenses to protect against threats. And on this, there will be no flexibility with Vladimir Putin. And I will call on our NATO allies to keep the greatest military alliance in history strong by honoring their commitment to each devote 2 percent of their GDP to security spending. Today, only 3 of the 28 NATO nations meet this benchmark.

Emphasis mine.

You may recall, Obama sold out two of our strongest former SSR allies in Poland and the Czech republic by cutting off the missile defense program those great nations spent huge political capital agreeing to. That was a great insight into Obama's governing philosophy as was the above exchange with Medvedev. Obama was showed he was willing to cast aside true allies to placate fake ones and it sent a clear message to all of those who we rely on to take a second look at their relationship with us.

Four years ago, Obama was feted by the media after he gave a weak speech in Berlin. The speech was designed to show that Obama had foreign policy credibility. He's done everything in his power to squander what cred he accumulated there.

Reading the rest of that paragraph block quoted above, i like that he gets that we need to project power and the best way to do that is to have a big, strong navy. I also like that he's serious about making NATO nations honor their commitments. Britain has been strong as have others but the Bear is not happy playing second fiddle and a rejuvenated alliance is good for all concerned.

US Gearing Up For Iran Engagement

Iran is still acting froggy and even threatened today to cure us of our arrogance. Despite the repeated admonishments from the UN backed by threats of a fierce wrist slapping and bed without dinner, Ahmadinejad seems poised to take his nation over the edge.

The US Navy has moved anti-missile assets into the Arabian Gulf and placed ground-based Patriots in several nations to fend off a missile attack should the Islamic Republic act on their threats and start a regional war no one wants.

Unfortunately, a test designed to intercept an Iranian missile shot they are capable of failed today:

WASHINGTON, Feb 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. attempt to shoot down a ballistic missile mimicking an attack from Iran failed after a malfunction in a radar built by Raytheon Co (RTN.N), the Defense Department said.

The abortive test over the Pacific Ocean coincided with a Pentagon report that Iran had expanded its ballistic missile capabilities and posed a "significant" threat to U.S. and allied forces in the Middle East region.

The Missile Defense Agency said that in Sunday's test both the target missile, fired from Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, and the interceptor, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, had performed normally.

"However, the Sea-Based X-band radar did not perform as expected," the agency said on its web site. Officials will investigate the cause of the failure to intercept, it said.

I disagree with the credit where credit is due sentiment expressed by Karl. Democrats have been trying to shut down funding for what they called "Star Wars" back in the days of Reagan and we haven't nearly perfected the technology to make missile defense reliable. We have had numerous successful tests so it may indeed work and better to fail in a test than when missiles are en route to Tel Aviv.

Speaking of Israel, they can't sit back and just hope we take care of things for them. They must gear up as we speak and I wouldn't be too surprised to see an attack on a par with the daring Osirak raid go off within weeks.

The ridiculous coddling of the Iranian ayatollahs and their stooge Ahmadinejad has proven to be an epic failure. Obama--in his naive approach favored by weak liberals--has allowed old Mahmoud to steal an election, laugh at us, threaten us and supply those who are killing our troops while keeping hope alive that the Iranians will see the brilliance he possesses and come to the table. Uh, no. They understand strength and power and Obama has to say forcefully that we will take action if Iran launches at any nation. No, the mealy-mouthed rhetoric we usually hear from the administration won't do this time. If they launch at Haifa, we have a war that will engulf the entire Mid-East, drive oil prices through the roof and force us to defend Israel, thus motivating thousands to join al-Qaeda in the war they want.

This is no time for nuance and thoughtful contemplation. This is a time for straight talk and even more overt action. Place two or three DDG's on the coast outside the 13-mile recognized range and let them sit until the self-proclaimed date by Ahmadinejad. Then encourage those that are leading the revolution covertly by supplying money and assets. The next ten years depends on action taken today.

Showdown With North Korea

With Iran making noise in the Mideast, the other remaining charter member of the Axis of Evil is feeling a little left out in the far east. Kim Jung-Il will not be ignored evidently:

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea threatened Wednesday to wipe the United States off the map as Washington and its allies watched for signs the regime will launch a series of missiles in the coming days.

Off China's coast, a U.S. destroyer was tailing a North Korean ship suspected of transporting illicit weapons to Myanmar in what could be the first test of U.N. sanctions passed to punish the nation for an underground nuclear test last month.

The Kang Nam left the North Korean port of Nampo a week ago with the USS John S. McCain close behind. The ship, accused of transporting banned goods in the past, is believed bound for Myanmar, according to South Korean and U.S. officials.

..."If the U.S. imperialists start another war, the army and people of Korea will ... wipe out the aggressors on the globe once and for all," the official Korean Central News Agency said.

The warning came on the eve of the 59th anniversary of the start of the three-year Korean War, which ended in a truce in 1953, not a peace treaty, leaving the peninsula in state of war.

The NoKo's are threatening to launch a missile toward Hawaii and can send a million men south across the 38th parallel with little notice. Our 28,500 men and women can resist but for how long is any one's guess. We have been training with ROK troops for years and are most-likely stepping that up.

This is the clearest example yet of the lack of respect the world's leaders have for Obama. Sure, these despots and thugs would get froggy on occasion when Bush was in office but never so overtly and never so provocatively. Kim is risking all-out war and doesn't seem too concerned that we will respond with any type of force other then defensively. How about moving a carrier into the arena at least.

Thank heavens Bush pushed so hard for missile defense during his eight years; a program Obama is trying to kill.

Thursday Night News and Notes

Winter is returning after a nice week. Tomorrow and the weekend look to be frigid and to someone in the environmental/construction industry and has to be outside, I can only say that it sucks big time.

Here's the links of the day.

Ed Rendell is a blowhard, which is well known in these parts. Gail Collins got all bent out of shape by Rendell and his choice of words concerning Gov. Napolitano. Note that Gail didn't get bent when the media was questioning whether Sarah Palin was Trig's mother or the myriad other, unseemly attacks waged against her.

More faux media outrage via Ace. Yeah, I wonder why the newspaper industry is disintegrating.

Obama gives John Kerry the finger with the simultaneous crotch grab. I guess you can say John F'ing Kerry was kinda, I don't know...swiftboating by BHO.

One wonders if Obama will have the huevos to discontinue the best deterrent we've ever created for long range weapons.

Mugabe won't go easy but the tide is finally turning.

Update: Tim Blair just loves those environmental idiots that make it easy to poke fun.

Another Successful Missile Defense Test

One of the lasting legacies of the Bush 43 years will be his devotion to national security and his nonchalance toward those who disagree with his methods and means. Regardless of his stand on immigration and spending, he has put measures in place that will protect American lives on a large scale.

Here's the news of his latest victory:

WASHINGTON — A U.S. missile defense system sought by several Middle East countries has intercepted a missile with a separating warhead.

In the first such achievement, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, shot down a target warhead that separated from the booster missile.

The June 25 test, which took place at the Pacific Missile Range Facility off the island of Kauai in Hawaii, marked the fifth successful intercept for the THAAD program in five attempts.

Five for five, baby!

It is a bit odd that they added the "sought by Middle East countries" part in there as it adds nothing to the story accept to make it sound like defense contractors will benefit or some such garbage. I'm sure that the UAE and Saudi Arabia want the shield because they know that Iran has offensive ambtions and ruling the Gulf is a top priority.

Anyway, Ronald Reagan dreamt of SDI and the media mockingly called it "Star Wars." George W. Bush seems to have brought Reagan's dream to fruition and made us much safer as a nation because of it. The added benefits for NATO countries and Israel are icing on the cake.