Ok, here's the reason why the Europeans and ex-KGB Colonel Putin....

[Aviation Pro]

...are going along with President Stupid Insane Man's vision of missile defense.

Because how do you make a bankrupt country even more bankrupt as punishment? By giving a thumbs up to unproven, pie-in-the-sky technology.

January cannot come to soon.

The Missile Defense Obsession
By Dan Froomkin
Special to washingtonpost.com
Friday, April 4, 2008; 1:56 PM

President Bush's obsession with missile defense was a distraction pre-9/11, is arguably an anachronism post-9/11, and has meant billions of dollars spent on unproven technology.

But no matter. Because Bush is on a roll. Yesterday, for reasons that aren't entirely clear, all 26 members of NATO endorsed his plan to build a controversial missile defense system in Eastern Europe.

And signs are that Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has denounced the proposal as unnecessary and provocative, may even go along with some version of Bush's plan when the two leaders meet on Sunday -- although it may only be a Potemkin agreement, aimed at buying time until the next U.S. administration.

[RaleighNCDUer]

1. Spend us into oblivion, just as happened with the Soviet Union.

We have a great future to look forward to, letting our astronauts hitch rides with the Chinese after we can no longer afford our own space program; when the EU and Russia start buying up our obsolete nukes so they won't be sold off to international terrorists; when we break up into our more natural states of Ecotopia (N California, Oregon, Washington), Dixie (self explanatory), Republic of Texas, Republic of California (loses N Calif., but picks up AZ, NV).

May you live in interesting times is an ancient curse.