It’s now official; another enemy appeased, several more friends betrayed. The sheer folly of it infuriates me, even though it’s been obvious for some time that this was coming.
I wonder if President Obama is turning up efforts to appease Russia (so far failing dismally), or he is just acting on his own antipathy toward missile defense. Whether or not Russia was his motivation, missile defense at least could have been a major bargaining chip, but Obama is giving it up for nothing at all.
Certainly no one will be fooled by the Pentagon’s threadbare justification: that new intelligence shows that Iran is focusing on short-range weapons now, so we’re adjusting to the threat. (Intelligence on Iran has been oh so terrific, hasn’t it.) If that were the real reason, we would be arranging to set up missile defense in the Middle East.
UPDATE: The Czechs are not happy:
The former Czech prime minister, Mirek Topolanek, said: “This is not good news for the Czech state, for Czech freedom and independence. It puts us in a position wherein we are not firmly anchored in terms of partnership, security and alliance, and that’s a certain threat.”
(Via the Corner.)
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