From Newsweek:The Obama administration has a complex relationship with the long-gestating antimissile program known as Star Wars. On the one hand, it has used Star Wars as a bargaining chip to deal with thorny diplomatic issues. Last month, Obama sent a letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev suggesting that if he works with Washington to block Iran's nuclear program, then the United States might kill a George W. Bush plan to put a missile-defense system in Poland. Soon after, Adm. Timothy Keating, top U.S. commander in the Pacific, told ABC News that the Pentagon was prepared to use Star Wars to shoot down an anticipated North Korean rocket test. At the same time, Obama's position on Star Wars deployment is skeptical; the White House Web site says he'll proceed with it only pending "positive" evidence that it works. And that's the rub. Effectively, so far, it doesn't.
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My Comment: You can always find a critic of America's missile defense program by the langauge that they use. "Star Wars" is this Newsweek writer's red flag.
But he does make two good points. (1) Adm. Timothy Keating was out of line when he publicized that they have the capability to shoot down a North Korean missile. It is not for him to publicize this information .... policy resides in Washington for a reason.
(2) Results of antimissile defense tests have been disappointing. I know that this is an evolving program which has gone very far in the past 25 years .... but after billions being spent you would hope that we would be farther ahead than where we are today.
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