Sec. of State Clinton links future of missile defense plans to Iran's nuclear program

[bigtree]

February 10, 2009

Clinton Says Missile Defense Depends on Iran’s Plans

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said a planned missile-defense system in eastern Europe might not be necessary should Iran be persuaded to give up its suspected drive to build a nuclear weapon.

“If we’re able to see a change in behavior on the part of the Iranians with respect to what we believe to be their pursuit of nuclear weapons, then we will reconsider” the missile-defense plans, Clinton told reporters in Washington today after meeting with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. “But we are a long, long way from seeing such evidence of any behavior change.”

“Our concerns about missile defense are primarily technical,” Clinton said . . .


read: http://georgiandaily.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9886&Itemid=65

[MadHound]

1. Nice to see Hillary pushing that false meme again,

Despite all the obvious facts, despite the inspections, despite that what she wants is impossible, ie for Iran to prove a negative, Hillary is bound and determined to get into it with Iran in some form or fashion. Hmmm. . .

[bigtree]

2. she goes beyond the President's rhetoric in her statement

[MadHound]

3. Yup, the great "Iranian threat" was something that she has hammered on for a long time

Hopefully she'll not unduly influence Obama on this one.

One of the reasons I didn't want her as President, one of the reasons I didn't want her as SOS. This is not a good way to make friends and influence people in the ME.

[Hardrada]

4. Exactly. I was not a Hillbot because of this militarist crap.

[Optical.Catalyst]

5. The honorable Hillary Clinton better hope that Iran backs down

The Strategic Missile Defense program is a facade. It is a bottomless pit the Government has been throwing money into since the early 1960's with no substantive results.

All the Test firing have been staged for success. Even that big news item about the errant satellite shoot down was staged. The Navy had two ships and three missiles to shoot down a satellite whose orbit had been precisely tracked for months. That would be somewhat different than a short range ballistic missile that never goes into orbit.

[bigtree]

6. that hasn't stopped the Pentagon from declaring them a success

It remains to be see what posture the President will ultimately take when that happens under his authority.

[DCKit]

7. Yeah, let's build a Star Wars system NOW!!!!

Dog knows Iran will have intercontinental capabilities and bigger bombs than the world has ever seen within the week if we don't threaten to flatten them first.

Woot!!!! Woot!!!!

[bigtree]

9. "It doesn't happen in a day or two"

Iran space shot 'rudimentary': US general

6 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Iran displayed a "rudimentary" space launch capability when it put a satellite into orbit last week, but is now on a path to having a long-range missile, a top Pentagon official said Tuesday.

General James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the launch of the Omid (Hope) satellite was of concern because the technologies involved were "compatible with, commensurate with, an intercontinental ballistic missile-type capability."

"That's not an automatic," he cautioned. "It doesn't happen in a day or two. And the work that they have done thus far is, at best, rudimentary, very low orbit, very minimal energy to get up there.

"This is not a long-range missile but it is the path toward that, so we have to worry about that," he told reporters.


US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who joined Cartwright at a Pentagon news conference, meanwhile responded cooly to prospects of a breakthrough in relations with Iran.

"Any kind of official outreach from Ahmadinejad to the president or to other senior US officials is news to me," he said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gRtiNe1gVJze2f58Gi3axvpSVD_w

[EFerrari]

8. Maybe Hillary will be the bad cop?

:shrug: