PUTIN SHOULD NOT AGREE TO BUSH'S GRANDIOSE MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM

The BBC reports that Bush is now in the Black Sea town of Sochi meeting with Vladimir Putin at his seaside resort dacha. Writes the BBC:

"US President George W Bush has arrived in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi for the last in a series of talks with President Vladimir Putin.

"The two are not expected to clinch agreement on a planned US missile defence system in Europe during this weekend's talks, the White House said."

If Putin is smart, he will not agree to Bush's grandiose plans to put up a missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. First of all, Bush wants the system in order to be able to shoot down an attacking Iranian missile. This is pure science fiction. Iran does not have missiles that fire into Europe, and even if it did, Iran has made no threats against any of its neighbors, not even against Israel.

Secondly, Bush's missile system could easily be turned into an offensive weapon pointed at Moscow and other Russian cities. If Putin agrees to allow Bush to install it, he has endangered the whole Russian nation against a nuclear attack from the West.

Thirdly, Putin should do the United States a favor and absolutely reject the missile defense system. It has not been proved that it will work, and it will cost multiple billions of dollars. Bush does not care how much he spends. His sole motivation is his "legacy." So that he can pretend he was a great American patriot and saved the nation from Iranian and other enemy missiles. No matter that the system is not needed. No matter that there is no Iranian threat. No matter that its cost will add to the hundreds of billions in deficit spending.

Please, Mr. Putin, do us all a favor. Don't agree with Bush and don't permit him to go ahead with this crazy, dangerous, necessary, spendthrift scheme.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF BUSH'S MILITARISM - MISSILE DEFENSE IN POLAND

Why does the United States need to put a missile defense system in Poland? This is an utter waste of taxpayer dollars because it is totally unnecessary.

Whom does the U.S. and Bush fear? Iran? That's a joke. Iran has never invaded another country or initiated aggression against another country. Iran has never shot missiles at the U.S or at Israel.

Bush's desire to place a missile defense system in Poland is unreasonable and unnecessary. But all that can be hoped for now is that a new U.S. president in 2009 will put a stop to this Bush profligacy and madness.

BUSH'S MISSILE DEFENSE THREATENS BOTH IRAN AND RUSSIA

Why are Bush and Cheney so enamored of a missile defense system based in some of former Soviet bloc countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic? It is as if they are obsessed with Iran.

Putin is right. There is no need for a missile defense system. First of all, it does indeed threaten Russia. If I was Putin, I too would be completely against the United States on this hair-brained idea.

Furthermore, there is no threat from Iran. The Iranians would be our friends if we agreed to sit down with them and talk to them as equals instead of the Bush/Cheney SOP of hectoring and threatening them with missiles and bombs. The Iranians have no reason to act hostilely towards the U.S. There are many Iranians who live in the U.S. and who go back and forth regularly to Iran to visit relatives. Why would the government of Iran launch an attack against a country that is the home to many Iranian ex-patriates?

It is the U.S. that has threatened Iran, not Iran the U.S.

Bush and Cheney should back off their war mongering against Iran. And the costly missile defense system that they propose against some imaginary Iranian threat should be discarded in favor of respect, diplomacy and negotiation

WHY DOES THE U.S. NEED A MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM?

Someone please explain to me why George Bush and Dick Cheney think that the United States needs a missile defense system, and why it needs to place such system in the Czech Republic and Poland?

The threat of some country shooting a missile at the United States is far fetched. Who could be the threat? North Korea, not likely, as it has hardly enough money to feed its population. Iran, no because Iran has no technology for a long-range missile system. And even if it did, what would be the possible consequences of such a rash military strike? Total destruction and annihilation of its cities and population, notwithstanding any Law of War.

The threat to the United States from missiles is imaginary and hallucinatory. There is no country that poses this threat, and there is no country that would actually attempt to fire one at the United States.

And why is the U.S. so intent on placing batteries in the Czech Republic and Poland? These countries border Russia. What must the Russians think? If I was Russian, I would be highly suspect that the U.S. under Bush would be planning some preventive strike. I realize that this is highly improbable to Americans, but we must see the Russian view through the prism of Russian history, which is replete with hundreds of invasions and attacks from foreigners.

MISSILE DEFENSE IN EASTERN EUROPE RILES PUTIN AND RUSSIA

The Bush foreign policy is a disaster. Take the most recent misstep. Placing missiles and missile radar in Eastern Europe bordering Russia. Understandably Russian President Vladimir Putin is upset. From an AP story today on Yahoo news by Vladimir Isachenkov:

"President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Russia's test-firing of new missiles this week was a response to U.S. plans to build missile defense sites across Europe, and suggested Washington is pursuing an imperialist policy that has triggered a new arms race.

"In a clear reference to the United States, Putin harshly criticized "diktat and imperialism" in global affairs and warned that Russia will keep strengthening its military potential to maintain a global strategic balance."

With one decision, Bush takes the United States back to the Cold War and the Arms Race of the 50s and 60s. The United States naively says that Russia has nothing to worry about because the missiles are not pointed at Russia. How would Americans react if Russia placed missiles in Canada and Mexico? We already know the answer to that. The Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Americans were furious, Kennedy's inner circle debated nuking Havana and Moscow, the world almost suffered its first nuclear war.

Nevertheless, Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice insists that the U.S. does not understand why Russia is so upset with the U.S. missile plan. The New York Times in a story from the AP reports:

"Russian attitudes are locked in the past, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday, adding that the United States is perplexed by the current fracas with Russia over a planned U.S. missile system in Europe."

Here again, Rice demonstrates she is not up to the job. It is hard to believe she is so sheltered that she is "perplexed" by the Russian reaction.