February 13, 2008 :: Investor’s Business Daily :: Analysis
An editorial in the February 13 edition of
Investor's Business Daily discusses Russia's military resurgence and hostility to the West. The editorial notes that after a decade of seeming irrelevance, Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun to rebuild the country's tarnished status as a global power. Flush with revenue from high oil and gas prices, Russia has "spen[t] heavily on the new Tu-160 supersonic strategic bomber, which can launch cruise missiles; the Su-34 Fullback all-weather fighter-bomber designed to attack heavily defended targets; and a fifth-generation fighter, the Sukhoi T-50, scheduled to become Russia's front-line fighter in 2008. " On February 9, Russian fighters intercepted a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Russia also has resumed its long range bomber patrols. The editorial concludes by suggesting the current Democratic presidential hopefuls could not face this strategic challenge. "Will an Obama or a Clinton have the courage Reagan showed when he deployed Pershing missiles in West Germany in response to the Soviet SS-20 threat? Not likely. More probably we will see what Barack Obama calls "aggressive personal diplomacy," by which we bargain away our missile defense for a handful of beads while making nice with the thugs who plan to launch missiles against us."
(Article)
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