Sunday, January 23, 2005

Once a Bully ...

Nothing Bush does should surprise me anymore and in fact I am underwhelmed by him once again. Why am I not suprised that he tried to bully Paul Martin into accepting his goofy missile defence shield during his visit way back when.

“[Bush] leaned across the table and said: ‘I'm not taking this position, but some future president is going to say, Why are we paying to defend Canada?' ” the official was quoted as saying.


“Most of our side was trying to explain the politics, how it was difficult to do,” he said.


But Mr. Bush “waved his hands and remarked: ‘I don't understand this. Are you saying that if you got up and said this is necessary for the defence of Canada, it wouldn't be accepted?' ”

Uh yeah. That's what they are saying Mr Preznit. Canadians have not yet been tarnished with the slime oozing out of their TV sets* as it appears half your nation has.**

Even more interesting is this story via The Christian Science Monitor detailing why the missile defence shield is already obsolete .

However, the Bush administration's dream of a viable NMD has been rendered fantasy by the Russian test of the SS-27 Topol-M. According to the Russians, the Topol-M has high-speed solid-fuel boosters that rapidly lift the missile into the atmosphere, making boost-phase interception impossible unless one is located practically next door to the launcher. The SS-27 has been hardened against laser weapons and has a highly maneuverable post-boost vehicle that can defeat any intercept capability as it dispenses up to three warheads and four sophisticated decoys.

To counter the SS-27 threat, the US will need to start from scratch. And even if a viable defense could be mustered, by that time the Russians may have fielded an even more sophisticated missile, remaining one step ahead of any US countermeasures. The US cannot afford to spend billions of dollars on a missile-defense system that will never achieve the level of defense envisioned. The Bush administration's embrace of technology, and rejection of diplomacy, when it comes to arms control has failed.

Emphasis mine.


*credit to Frank Zappa ... who knew?
** apologies to the OTHER half of the American population. Hang in there ... we're with ya.


No comments: