Via Ben Armbruster at ThinkProgress, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey says there is no need for the recent GOP push to build a missile defense system on the East coast of the United States.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH,) who supported the East Coast missile defense measure, claims it’s needed “to lessen the threats from both Iran and North Korea.” But the AP reports that Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O’Reilly, the head of the U.S. missile defense program, told Congress recently that North Korea lacks the testing for a capable system and has made little progress in its spaceflight program. And former CIA Mideast analyst Paul Pillar has noted that “the intelligence community does not believe [the Iranians] are anywhere close to having an ICBM [intercontinental ballistic missile].”
Moreover, as Dempsey hinted at in the press conference, Danger Room notes that existing systems already have the eastern sea board covered from ICBM threats.
“This is a political move,” said Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) referring to the GOP’s missile defense scheme. “Every time the election comes around, the Republicans run out a national security agenda.”
This just shows how fervently nationalistic and militaristic many representatives in Congress are, even compared to military officials.
How about NATO’s push for missile defense in Eastern Europe? Does Dempsey buy the bogeyman rationale for that boondoggle?
Not surprising, but check out funding for proponent Rep Michael Turner, whose quote is being used a lot in news stories. The usual suspects, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin. And, as usual, the going rate for a Congressional soul is pretty cheap:
http://maplight.org/us-congress/legislator/496-mi…
Quick. I hear bushmen in the heart of Africa and the Amazon basin are contemplating retaliation. We need a missile shield NOW to protect the soft underbelly of our ignorant nation!
Paranoia is the biggest and most dangerous social sickness that exist in US and EU, its so bad that these GOP might even start the third world war thinking that they are about to save the world from anything but their distructive thoughts. Although Paranoia is a social psychological warfare thrown at people by the system yet is used to the point where no one is safe. The way that US social political system works is make sure that people more scared as they were day before.
And 9/11 was the capstone for never ending fear and war making. The sad part is that I don't believe that we'll ever walk back from where we are – the fear-mongers HAVE to maintain the level of fear or they will lose the power to control – and they'll never allow that to happen. And tho the sane ones probably (hopefully) outnumber the insane ones, the saners are apathetic and lazy.