U.S. Shelves Nuclear-Missile Shield - WSJ.com

U.S. Shelves Nuclear-Missile Shield - WSJ.com

This is ground shaking on a lot of levels. If the Russians do not give us what we need on Iranian sanctions within the next 30 days or so, view this as another nail in the coffin towards Israel's attacking Iran -- US long term commitment to its allies is never something that is worth much to the Arab nations, Eastern Europe and other allies, and even worse in Israel, where Obama has a 4% approval rating (seriously) for confidence that he is dedicated to the "special relationship" we have with Israel. The world, and Obama, doesn't adequately understand how Jewish history, with the Holocaust as an exclamation mark, imparts on the Israeli psyche that at the end, it cannot trust the words of others and must take care of itself because it is surrounded by those who wish it dead. The Iranians may be bluffing, but against that background, an Israeli leader,with a military background and a strong a sense of history (Netanyahu), will act unless strong action is taken by the world.

Let's pray Obama didn't get snookered and double crossed by the Russians on this, not only for the immediate result in Iran and among our Eastern European allies, but also because it will show a dangerous lack of respect by the Kremlin for Obama, which could lead to tragic miscalculation (a march into the Ukraine, for example). History tends to repeat itself -- The Soviet's low opinion for Carter led to its feeling of confidence that it could invade Afghanistan.