The editorial board of Investors Business Daily (IBD) supported Governor Palin’s position on North Korea on June 1, 2009. As the IBD noted, North Korea is preparing to test-launch an inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM) with a 4,000-mile range, which puts Alaska’s mainland squarely within striking range (Missiles, 2009, ¶3).
“Robert Gates’ visit to our missile defense facility at Fort Greely on Monday was a pointed reminder to the North Koreans that while we have been talking softly, we still have a few big sticks in the ground ready to turn the North Korean missile program into so much scrap metal” (Missiles, 2009, ¶1).
“Gates believes the 30 interceptors developed, tested and deployed by his former boss, President George W. Bush, at Fort Greely and at Vandenberg AFB in California are adequate for the threat. While Gates’ words are tough and the visual aids stunning, Gov. Palin, who hosted Gates’ visit and whose state is on the wrong end of a Taepodong trajectory, thinks more is needed — such as the other 14 ground-based interceptors that were planned for budget cuts (Missiles, 2009, ¶8).
“A statement from her office last Friday, after North Korea launched its sixth missile in less than a week, said: ‘Missile Defense Agency funding must be fully restored in the federal budget to guarantee our protective measures remain the best in the world.’ We think so too” (Missiles, 2009, ¶9).
“‘The United Nations sanctions have failed to stop North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons,’ the statement quotes Palin as saying, ‘and the Obama administration cannot afford to be playing catch-up to an irrational dictator like Kim Jong Il’” (Missiles, 2009, ¶10).
“One response that might get North Korea’s attention would be to enforce the Proliferation Security Initiative created by President Bush in 2003 after the So Sang incident. The PSI allows its 95 signatory states to inspect ships and planes for illicit weapons and materials and to seize their cargos” (Missiles, 2009, ¶11).
According to IBD, South Korea is joining the PSI (Missiles, 2009, ¶12).
“Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton, who was instrumental in creating the PSI, says the Obama administration as of recently doesn’t think much of the option: ‘I don’t think they even knew what it was’” (Missiles, 2009, ¶13).
“As in the war on terror, most of our successes remain secret. But according to former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the PSI was used in October 2003 to intercept nuclear-fuel centrifuge components being shipped to Libya on a German-owned vessel” (Missiles, 2009, ¶14).
“That’s how you stop proliferation” (Missiles, 2009, ¶15).
Commentary
Kudos to the IBD not only for supporting Governor Palin, but their choice of words for the headline: SDI — Strategic Defense Initiative — born under President Ronald Wilson Reagan — whose torch is being carried by none other than Governor Palin. This is a small but significant detail. Alaska’s missile defense system is premised on the same principle as SDI, except that Alaska’s system consists of ground-based missile interceptors; it’s not merely a concept. It exists now, and these missile interceptors are known to work — very well. SDI was premised on a different technology, being a space-based system.
That the missile defense budget should be left alone — if anything — INCREASED — should be painfully obvious and not even be the subject of debate. North Korea is clearly engaging in a dangerous game, brought on because they rightfully perceive Obama as being weak on national defense. Seriously, what else would an enemy state perceive about a sitting president who bows before Muslim dictators, goes on apology tours and states that Iran has the right to nuclear technology, even though that country is using it to build a nuclear weapon? With all the pork barrel silly projects that the federal government finances, they can’t be cut instead? Why does this administration now cry poverty on a critical national defense item?
What is it in Obama’s thought process that leads him to believe that the “strong words” uttered by Secretary Gates will be sufficient to stop the North Korean threat — while his administration prepares to cut funds for the very tool that makes those words mean something? A teleprompter loaded with an eloquent speech will not stop an ICBM. But, one of Governor Palin’s interceptor missiles most definitely will stop one.
How can this man who is supposed to be President “think little of the PSI” and barely know of its very existence? Is he not the Commander in Chief? Is his job not to protect our country from all enemies foreign and domestic? Yes, there are plenty of strong arguments to suggest that his policies render him a domestic enemy, but that’s a little beyond the scope of this subject — come to think of it — maybe it is not…..maybe, it is at the root of this issue. Maybe this is why he thinks Iran has the right to nukes and Israel should accept as a partner an enemy who seeks her destruction.
Interestingly, we hear the same tired moose manure about how Governor Palin is somehow “unqualified” coming out of Obama’s mouthpieces in the mainstream media — like Katie Couric — who until Governor Palin graced her with three interviews — had abysmal ratings. Couric researched ways to try to trip up Governor Palin, and edited the tape to remove over two minutes of good quotes. For that hit job, she got a Pulitzer Prize, when she in fact violated the most basic principles of journalistic ethics.
Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time knows that Governor Palin is admirably qualified. She’s had 17 years to hone her executive skills. She has spent those years making the hard decisions, administering budgets, hiring and firing. She never had the option to vote present or abstain from a vote. As Governor, as and as a mayor, she’s had to pass or veto bills and if anything went wrong with her decisions, including the actions of her reports, she was the one held accountable.
The Governor’s critics lambaste her every day on minutia, and made-up nonsense. Governor Palin has her priorities in the right place. Her state is at the front line of defending against ICBMs originating from North Korea and eastern Russia. Obama is the one who really needs to figure out what country he is President and Commander in Chief of — and supposed to be advocating for, not against. Hopefully by now, he realizes we have 50 states, not 57 (the number of Muslim countries in the world).
In this author’s opinion right now, the best man for the job of POTUS is a woman, specifically the one whose accomplishments are the subject of this blog…..
References
Target Alaska: Gov. Palin pushes SDI. (2009, June 1). Investor’s Business Daily. Retrieved June 2, 2009 from: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=328747091886487
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