Congress Fiddles While Poland and Czech Republic Wait
Last month we told you that Democrats were trying to block funding for missile defense bases in Poland and the Czech Republic. Democrats purportedly wanted to hear what those countries’ parliaments had to say before approving the funds. There’s an interesting editorial in today’s Opinion Journal on the topic. An excerpt of “Missile Offense”:
“The Kremlin has been dusting off old Bolshevik intimidation techniques since the U.S. signed a missile defense partnership with Poland last month. The Russian foreign ministry promised that its response ‘would go beyond diplomacy,’ and a Russian general mused that this meant its nuclear missiles would have to target Poland. Who would have thought such talk would find an accommodating ear in the U.S. Congress?
“That will be the question when Illinois Republican Representative Mark Kirk offers an amendment in the coming days to the Defense Appropriations bill to restore funding for missile defense sites in Poland and the Czech Republic.”
While Congress fiddles, countries like Iran are busy building and preparing. Poland defied Russia by signing the missile defense deal with the U.S., but Democrats are wrangling over whether Russian threats are real or not. As the Opinion Journal notes, the 10 missile-interceptor deal is “largely symbolic,” because they won’t stop an attacked from Russia. Symbolism carries weight, and Poland is taking steps to protect itself. It’s too bad Poland and the Czech Republic are stuck with a symbolic victory and a stone-walling Congress.
Tags: Congressman Mark Kirk, Czech Republic, Poland, Russia