WASHINGTON — President Obama sent a secret letter to Russia’s president last month suggesting that he would back off deploying a new missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Moscow would help stop Iran from developing long-range weapons, American officials said Monday.
The letter to President Dmitri A. Medvedev was hand-delivered in Moscow by top administration officials three weeks ago. It said the United States would not need to proceed with the interceptor system, which has been vehemently opposed by Russia since it was proposed by the Bush administration, if Iran halted any efforts to build nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.
Flawed and stupid, the first major foreign policy venture of Obama involves kicking allied to the curb. Is it no wonder the Eastern Europe Yearns for a return of Bush.
This is not at all surprising (to me, but maybe it is to Brooks & Buckley...) I thought Obama was on record saying he wanted to cancel missile defense anyway. I'm somewhat surprised that he's trying to negotiate a quid pro quo benefit for an apparent done deal.
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