White House Reacts With Caution to Russia

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON - The White House reacted cautiously Wednesday to Russian President Vladimir Putin (news - web sites)'s statement that his country is developing a nuclear missile "of the kind that other nuclear powers do not and will not have."
............
"This is not something that we look at as new," he said. "We are very well aware of their long-standing modernization efforts for their military. ... We are allies now in the global war on terrorism."


McClellan suggested that close ties between Bush and Putin makes alarm unnecessary — but doesn't eliminate Washington's concern.


"We have a very different relationship than we did in the Cold War," he said. "The fact that we do have a good relationship enables us to speak very directly to our Russian friends."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=513&ncid=691&e=1&u=/ap/20041117/ap_on_go_ot/us_russia

[Free2BMe]

1. Interesting comment considering the global power the WH thinks....

we have is slowly moving down in numerical standing..Should Russia succeed in this venture...who says they won't recall old "wounds"...Naturally this WH sees everything in bl/wh and thinks it controls the world..How how weak an understanding it has.

[Winamericaback]

2. Okay wait

Just 10 to 15 years after the cold war ended, Russia is our Ally even though Putin will not allow elections for local officials anymore and they are developing nuclear weapons supposedly "worse than what we have."

SO they can have weapons of mass destruction but nobody else can even though it is looking like their democracy isn't going to be a democracy for much longer.

What, because they are our allies they won't turn on us? Bush and his administration need a crash course in WWII history...

Whats that adage?
Fool me once shame on you, Fool me twice shame on me?

[Voltaire99]

14. When Putin starts banging his shoe on the table...

...the Bushies will call it a victory for the "war on terror."

[Javaman]

15. We can't unilaterally attack russia...

We only pick on defenseless nations that we can use as patriot propaganda, not ones that may kick our ass

[MisterP]

23. because it's not rampant corruption under Communism,

it's rampant corruption under murderous gangsters and privatized oligarchs, which is a Good Thing.

[w4rma]

3. Iraq!

Russia rearming? Iraq! Iraq! Iraq!
North Korea arming? Iraq! Iraq! Iraq!
China and Saudi Arabia buying up American assets? Iraq! Iraq! Iraq!

Iraq! Saddam! Iraq! Saddam!

Osama bin Laden is still alive and better than ever? Saddam! Saddam! Saddam! Iraq!

[uppityperson]

10. Why do you hate america?

flag flag flag flag flag

[RedCon1]

4. I'm not sure

Russia is as trustworthy as our administration makes them out to be. I was thinking that Russia had a couple of hundred billion dollars worth of oil contracts in Iraq that our administration has nullified. I see Putin using terrorism to achieve poltical and economic goals inconsistent with America's interests and agenda. That school/terrorist incident in Russia, in conjunction with the precedent set by our administration will be all the justification they need to invade any country they want for, basically, any reason. I was previously thinking that Putin would wait until after our elections before making a major move. I'm curious to see if he makes that move now. I would if I were him.

[Eurobabe]

5. Don't worry peepuhl, we gots Condi as SecState

she's an old cold war vet, we'll be fine!!

[T Bone]

27. Maybe Pootie announced this just to get a little face time with Condi?

He's jealous of his soulmate W* getting that little hottie all to himself. Pootie wants to find out what her 'Russian Specialties' really are?

[Qutzupalotl]

6. Bush started another arms race by developing "mini nukes".

Looks like we'll need Star Wars SDI after all, huh? Not from a pre-existing threat, but because our president is an idiot.

[HereSince1628]

7. Well, is this about missles or warheads? I'm sore confused

How many minutes is it to midnight??

[natrat]

9. bush the anti king midas

he has to be right up there with the worst in american history,,,,just gets worse every day

[StClone]

8. This really is a perfect time to escalate

1) The U.S. is setting a terrible example by over-warring

2) The world is distracted.

3) The U.S. is so hamstrung, overextended and loosing it's ethical voice it isn't really in a strong position as it was to protest.

4) Either join the Nuke Community or Die.

[AlCzervik]

11. Putin is so friggin happy Bush got elected

because he knows that Bush won't do jack shit about anything Russia related. Putin has free reign to develop what ever weapons he wants and to keep turning back the clock on democracy.

[murray hill farm]

12. why do some countries get to develop nuclear weapons?

And others do not? Why is it OK for Russia to develop such weapons and not Iran? What is the mandate for this? Who and how was this list of "OK to have nuclear weapons..or not" arrived at and when? Anyone know?

[Purveyor]

16. Because there isn't a goddamned thing we can do to stop them...

$40-50bbl oil has been the blessing for Russia.

Perhaps this isn't a "bad thing". A strong Russia will put these "Armageddonite, Crusading bastards" currently occupying Washington...back into their box!

[Jack_DeLeon]

28. John Titor was right...

OMG

[Javaman]

17. Because Pootie-poot is his frieeeeeeeeeeend

[lovuian]

13. Yes thats why we send Spy planes to see what Russia is doing

and get caught at it

Yes who's the biggest fool here!!!

[Javaman]

18. Is it just me, or does it seem like the CIA is the biggest crock of BS?

[anarchy1999]

19. Two important items, Russians dumping dollars for other currencies and

Putin making statements about switching to the Euro, just like Saddam did for oil. China making alliances with Iran, providing most of consumer goods, including vehicles. Not looking good..... and now we have Condi at the helm? It is just one more of many WTF? moments, coming at a really fast rate, in this truly bizarro world we are living in.

[natrat]

25. if our boy can do the wrong thing-he will

[dubyaD40web]

20. This is the logical result of the abandonment of the ABM treaty.

The Anti Ballistic Missile treaty was put in place to slow (or stop) the cycling development of ever more sophisticated (and expensive) nukes and nuke delivery vehicles, and of defenses to stop them, and of new nukes to beat those defenses, etc. It worked very well for a couple decades, maintaining a tense, but relatively stable MAD (mutually assured destruction) principle - you blow us up we'll blow you up even worse - that eventually led to the downsizing of both of our nuclear capabilities.

Now * bags he ABM treaty, starts talking about developing new tactical "usable" nukes (as if ANY nuclear weapon is "usable" in a sane sense of the word), and 4 years later we find ourself in an arms race that we can't afford from a financial or security basis. Many of us saw this coming as soon as * started talking about dropping the ABM.

What an asshole.

[BootinUp]

21. Will you all just settle down!

Look, we are safer! I saw it on tv or something. :crazy:

[Justitia]

22. Surprise!!!

"This is not something that we look at as new," he said. "We are very well aware of their long-standing modernization efforts for their military."

"We are allies now in the global war on terrorism." <gulp! "we hope!">

Me thinks the morons were completely caught unawares, as per usual with this incompetent maladministration.

Hey Vlad, thanks for the heads up!

[Barkley]

24. That's what you get when you tear up the ABM to build missile defense and

mini nukes!

During NATO's Kosovo bombing, a Russian law-maker erroneously announced that the country’s Strategic Rocket Forces had been directed to re-target Russian ICBMs toward the West; within hours of the announcement, Britain launched a second Trident submarine. The Trident's American-made SLBMs have star-guided inertial navigational systems that enable its warheads to preemptively strike Russian ICBM silos. No doubt London's reaction, far more extreme than warranted, was coordinated with Washington (or at least one hopes so).

I'm betting these new Russian missiles are designed to evade both missile defense and the Trident.

[bin.dare]

26. "their long-standing modernization efforts for their military"

so you heard it from the arse's mouth: MODERNIZATION=BIGGER NUKES
when RumsFailed talks of modernizing the military, you now know what he is talking about.