House panel cuts East Europe missile shield funds

[IChing]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. House committee on Wednesday cut money requested by President George W. Bush to deploy a missile shield in Eastern Europe, with some lawmakers saying there has not been enough consultation with NATO allies or testing of the technology.

Russia views the U.S. plan to base 10 missile interceptors in Poland and radar in the Czech Republic from 2012 as a major threat to its national security. Russian President Vladimir Putin has frozen commitments under a post-Cold War treaty on conventional force levels in Europe in protest.

But the Bush administration says the system is needed for protecting Europe, and U.S. forces there, against missiles developed by Iran. American intelligence officials say Iran could possess longer-range missiles by 2015.


The Strategic Forces Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee voted unanimously to cut $160 million from the administration's $310 million request for the program in fiscal 2008, which starts October 1. They deleted the money needed to start construction of the missile base in Poland, the panel's chair Rep. Ellen Tauscher explained.

Read more: http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyid=2007-05-02T202214Z_01_N02376219_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-MISSILE-DEFENSE.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

[badgervan]

1. Good

Best news I've heard for weeks. This is one way to put the brakes on the Decider/Commander.

[tabasco]

2. Good news. This is just another profiteering scam.

The only function of "missile defense" is to funnel huge amounts of tax dollars to billionaire CEOs and robber barons of military industry.

[nealmhughes]

3. It was a stupid program, unproven, untested and a direct provocation to

the Russian Federation. Stupid, wasteful and I don't think many Czechs want it on their soil either, not too sure about the twins in Warsaw, though.
In fact, it is almost as stupid as Dick Shelby's conventionly armed SLBM system he wanted! Who in his right mind would want to waste a Trident missile on other than strategic deterrent? They never even realized that the first rule of a boomer is "You have 15 mins. to launch, then say your prayers," in regard to the expected retaliation to the sub from another or from a land or air based system.

[anotherdrew]

4. if Europe needs protection, they can take care of themselves. who the fuck does bush think he is?

damn I fucking hate bush, words fail to convey the utter and complete depth of my loathing for that pusillanimous piece of shit known as bush. of course, that's actually an insult to shit as it at least was once something useful.

[burrowowl]

5. Good! eom

[ShockediSay]

6. Pay-to-Play Gov't Contractor Boondogle

plus it doesn't work

[maddezmom]

7. Bipartisan Panel Will Review Nuclear Posture

Bipartisan Panel Will Review Nuclear Posture

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 3, 2007; Page A03

A House Armed Services subcommittee voted yesterday to establish a year-long, bipartisan commission to reevaluate the U.S. nuclear strategic posture for the post-9/11 world.

The subcommittee voted to pay for it by cutting $20 million from the Bush administration's $88 million request to complete design and cost studies for the first of a new generation of nuclear warheads.

In setting funding levels at $51.4 billion for strategic programs in the fiscal 2008 Defense Authorization Bill, the strategic forces subcommittee's new chairwoman, Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher (D-Calif.), said, "This commission is designed to help frame the debate over the future direction of our nuclear weapons program and place it in the context of related strategic consideration."

Tauscher said she wanted to slow down spending on the Reliable Replacement Warhead program and on related plans to modernize the aging nuclear weapons complex, which refurbishes older weapons and dismantles retired warheads and bombs. Rep. Terry Everett (R-Ala.), the ranking Republican on the subcommittee, said the reduction in the RRW program would allow "a measured, knowledge-based approach."



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/02/AR2007050202434.html

[damntexdem]

8. Good: halfway there!

Now cut the other $150 million.

[Kolesar]

9. The dink-republicans are going to try to fly this as the "Democrats being weak on defense"

I really hate the politics of this stupid program. I hope that at this time the voting public will bother to analyze the issue.

I remember Cong Ellen Tauscher getting whomped on Dailykos.com for her ties to Joe Lieberman. Well, maybe it takes "one of them" to help us dismantle this stupid program. I liked her criticism of the bogus testing regimen.

Edit: I heard this story on NPR today and wanted to kick it. I was hoping the cuts were bigger.