America's friends

Friday, January 1, 1904

America has developed "allies" through decades of diplomatic energy, the strength of commerce and trade, the scars and bloodshed of war, and a commitment to shared principles of liberty and freedom.

Typically, in times of war, allies quickly coalesce around a common cause and a common enemy. Over time, the tactics and theaters of war have evolved into smaller, more technical needs, yet the costs of war and the geopolitical interests continue to bring allies together.

Recently, the whispers of President Barack Obama to Russia's current puppet of a president, Dmitri Medvedev, at the 2012 Nuclear Security Summit in Seoul, South Korea, exposed the politics that jeopardize America's national security and the security of our "allies."

A microphone captured America's president, already perceived to be quick to appease, asking for Medvedev's successor, Vladimir Putin, to "give me space" in relation to the controversial issue of missile defense. President Obama continued to promise, with an extended reach to President Medvedev's knee, that "This is my last election. After my election, I have more flexibility."

In context, Obama already has agreed to the reduction of missile defense capabilities and specific strategic nuclear weapons through the new iteration of the START Treaty. Russia is allowed to maintain a 10-to-1 tactical nuclear weapons advantage over the U.S. This same treaty, signed in 2011, abandoned missile defense systems in the Czech Republic and Poland that were to protect the region from threats of Iran.

Justifying the broken agreement to the endangered region, Obama claimed then and now that "the Iranian threat is overstated."

In those same negotiations with Russia in 2010, Obama obtained a bargaining chip by providing nuclear secrets related to Trident missiles in the United Kingdom's arsenal.

Do those nations we typically consider allies have the confidence in watching the American president link nuclear negotiations to an election? Do Americans embrace such raw political actions that hide negotiations behind the cloak of the election calendar rather than prioritizing our nation's security?