Obama On Defense

2008-8-14 04:33:00

Here are a couple things that Obama has said that greatly concern me.

"I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending. I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems. I will not weaponize space."

JJ:

After several decades of work and many billions of investment we are finally reaching a point where a viable missile defense system can be created. It is quite possible that a missile defense system will make the difference for not only our survival as a free country, but our survival period.

Obama has always been against missile defense as well as almost all Democrats until recently. Now that it looks like an SDI [Strategic Defense System] system can be created many Democrats are considering embracing the program. It's too bad the leader of the party is dragging his feet on perhaps the most important step of our era.

Obama:

"I will slow our development of future combat systems."

JJ:

Unfortunately Russia, China, Iran and other potential threats will not follow suit and will do everything in their power develop combat systems that will make ours not only obsolete, but powerless.

This idea of Obama's was tried by Europe and the USA in the early thirties and gave Hitler a free hand to gain a foothold that threatened the entire planet. Those who said "never again" are dying off and a new generation of appeasers have surfaced. It would be nice if investment in defense was "wasteful spending," and not needed as Obama insinuates, but as long as we have potential Hitlers out there with weapons much worse than Hitler had we need to maintain peace through strength.

Obama:

"I will set a goal for a world without nuclear weapons."

JJ:

This sounds admirable. It is something we all want. The question is how do we achieve it? Here's is what Obama says he will do:

"To seek that goal, I will not develop nuclear weapons;"

And what a plan this is. This will only encourage our enemies to move full steam ahead as they did in the Thirties when we unilaterally disarmed.

Obama:

"I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material...."

JJ:

Every president in the nuclear age has sought to prevent nuclear proliferation but unilaterally stopping weapons development will not give potential enemies any incentive to do the same.

Obama:

"And I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off hair-trigger alert, and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenal."

JJ:

Why the emphasis on "our nuclear arsenal?" The nuclear arsenal of the world is the problem.

It would be nice if we could get others to disarm by setting a good example, but this approach has never worked in the history of the world. What has changed to make such a risk acceptable?

Nothing.

All quotes taken from Obama's own words at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl32Y7wDVDs

Then Obama says this, quoted by the New York Times, Aug 3, 2007:

"I think it would be a profound mistake for us to use nuclear weapons in any circumstance," he said, pausing before he added, "involving civilians."

It's hard to imagine using a nuclear weapon and not involving some civilians. The nuclear deterrent prevented nuclear war during the Cold War. If the Soviets had Obama's assurance that we would not use nuclear weapons they would have taken over the world in the Sixties.

Now he is assured of the nomination and reaching out to conservatives he is sounding more right wing than Bush, but I am inclined to think that these quotes given to those of the same belief system as himself represent his true thinking.

"One's first step in wisdom is to question everything -- and one's last is to come to terms with everything."
-- Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 - 1799)

Word of the Day

Apoplectic -- Adjective. Inclined to apoplexy (a sudden, usually marked loss of bodily functions caused by hemorrhage into the tissue of any organ, especially the brain, from rupture or occlusion of a blood vessel). Example of use: The Rockefeller wing of the party would be outraged, the liberal press apoplectic.