Obama warns against 'fighting the last war': pledges focus on nuclear, bio, cyber threats

[DeepModem Mom]

Source: NYT/AP

Democrat Barack Obama warned Wednesday about the danger of ''fighting the last war'' as he pledged to focus on emerging nuclear, biological and cyber threats if elected president....

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Obama said two goals of his administration would be to secure all loose nuclear material during his first term, as well as rid the world of nuclear weapons. He said adhering to nonproliferation treaties would put pressure on nations such as North Korea and Iran. North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon and Iran has an energy program the Bush administration warns could be a precursor to nuclear weapon development....

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In addition to his focus on nuclear matter, Obama called for investing in methods to prevent, detect and contain biological attacks. He highlighted a proposal to spend $5 billion over three years to develop an international intelligence and law enforcement infrastructure to stymie terrorist networks. ''Making these changes will do more than help us tackle bioterror; it will also create new jobs, it will support a healthier population and improve America's capability to respond to any major disaster,'' he said.

Coping with cyber security for an increasingly online world will protect the country's economic and national security assets, Obama said, and he pledged to appoint a cyber adviser who will coordinate government efforts and report directly to the president.

''All of this will demand the greatest resource that America has, and that's our people,'' said Obama. ''In the Cold War, we didn't defeat the Soviets just because of the strength of our arms. We also did it because at the dawn of the atomic age and at the onset of the space race, the smartest scientists and most innovative work force was here in America.''...

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/washington/AP-Obama.html

[Indenturedebtor]

1. Cool! The elimination of Nukes? That's a pretty strong statement right there.

Next paycheck he gets a donation :D

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

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[guitar man]

3. sausage or pepperoni?

maybe a supreme?

:D

[jim mack]

4. Powerful Ideas

Such a powerful concept and yet so simple. This is exactly what we need - thinking outside the box. A new progressive paradigm.

We'll simply shame Iran and North Korea into dropping their nuclear programs. Perhaps the same approach can be used with the Tailban.

[Tyler Durden]

5. Start with taking the option off the IRAN table.

That would be a real plus for me.

[Name removed]

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