The Missile Defense Decision – Laura's 1st Response:

It is necessary to point out that President Obama has extensive knowledge of Russian history, whereas Bush had zero knowledge or forethought when he initially made the announcement or played a part in the plan.

I do not consider provoking the Russian Federation to be intelligent at all Chase. And guess what? You do not live in Western Europe so your lack of concern over Bush's potential for reverting back to the early 1960s and turning France and Germany into the nuclear battleground of a U.S. instigated nuclear war is representative of the typical "as long as it's not in my backyard" attitude.

Additionally, Bush made these promises at a time when he sought Eastern European support in the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

I will take this a step further here and confidently assert that there is not any nuclear threat from Iran, unless of course the Iranians are attacked first.

The Russians are our allies Chase, so your anti-Communist stance and reference to the former Soviet Union borders on the ridiculous. President Obama seeks to overcome the negative impact that the Bush administration had on U.S. – Russia relations. Is that okay with you, or would you rather he provoked an entirely new Cold War? Many of us Obama supporters supported him because of his announced intentions of diplomacy. I know that you cannot believe that Russia would have stood by and allowed the U.S. to get away with Bush's plan.

The European states that supported the missile defense system are mainly Poland and the Czech Republic. Tell me Chase – What do these Eastern European states have to fear from Iran? According to U.S. plans under the Bush administration, the entire missile defense shield plan had only to do with Iranian long range nuke capabilities and nothing whatsoever to do with Russia. Instead of incorporating this point in your thesis, you actually discuss Star Wars under Ronald Reagan – a point understood all to well by the Russians, and by many Americans that are all too aware of the costs involved. In a sense you have made my argument for me.

Western Europeans have no desire to be at the center of a nuclear war between Iran and the U.S. and your title of this post is a misnomer – clarify that you are referring to the former Soviet Socialist Republic satellite states when using the term "sellout" and rename please. For the U.S. this has mainly to do with Iran, although the U.S. did arm and train the Georgian military. For the former Soviet satellite states it has mainly to do with the Russian Federation, although the majority of citizens do not feel that the provocation is necessary either. Clearly each party has vastly different goals in this missile defense shield plan that is finally, and thankfully, derailed.

The entire plan concocted by the Bush war-mongers was little beyond the usual interference.

You feel it necessary to discuss the dissolution of the Soviet Union Chase? You must as you stated:

"Many analysts agree that the race drained Soviet coffers and triggered the economic difficulties that sped up the Soviet collapse in 1991."

This statement that refers to Star Wars neglects the 10-year Soviet invasion and war in Afghanistan (79-89). I'm sure that many in Russia and the former satellite states are eyeing the U.S. agenda today and wondering: How is that going for you? Hopefully this leaves you with something to consider in relation to the current U.S. agenda in Afghanistan that began in late 2001.