Russia Threatens Nuclear Attack on Poland Over US Missile Shield Deal

[tekisui]

Only 24 hours after the weapons agreement was signed Russia's deputy chief of staff warned Poland "is exposing itself to a strike 100 per cent".

General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said that any new US assets in Europe could come under Russian nuclear attack with his forces targeting "the allies of countries having nuclear weapons".

He told Russia's Interfax news agency: "By hosting these, Poland is making itself a target. This is 100 per cent certain. It becomes a target for attack. Such targets are destroyed as a first priority."

Russia's nuclear rhetoric marks an intense new phase in the war of words over Georgia. The Caucasus conflict has spiralled into a Cold War style confrontation between Moscow and Washington in less than a week.

The stand off between the two cold War powers was underlined by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who dismissed US claims that the silo is a deterrent against 'rogue states' like Iran as "a fairy tale". He told reporters at the Black Sea resort of Sochi: "The deployment of new missile defence facilities in Europe is aimed against the Russian Federation."

President George W. Bush in a brief but pointed statement earlier in the day said: "The Cold War is over… Bullying and intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century."

Mr Bush, who is demanding an immediate withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia now that that a ceasefire deal has been signed, added: "Only Russia can decide whether it will now put itself back on the path of responsible nations or continue to pursue a policy that promises only confrontation and isolation,"

Russia's deteriorating relationship with the West was strained further when US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday visited Georgian capital Tbilisi and concluded a ceasefire deal with Russia. It was the highest profile gesture of American political support for Georgia's embattled government since the conflict began.

Echoing President Bush's demands for a withdrawal from Georgia, she evoked the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia 40 years ago. "Russian forces need to leave Georgia at once. This is no longer 1968,"she said.

link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/2566005/Russia-threatens-nuclear-attack-on-Poland-over-US-missile-shield-deal.html

[wryter2000]

1. Methinks

Pooty-Poot has had enough with Shrubbie and his impotent Secretary of State and is only starting to flex his muscles.

[skyounkin]

3. Yeah-

He knows bush can't really do shit cause we are quarmired in Irag and Afganistan.

[leftchick]

2. looks like the neocons got their war on again

WWIII!

:nuke:

[Arrowhead2k1]

4. Double post. nt

[Dollface]

12. We just made a deal to put missles on their border. Why should the Russians stand for that? What

if the Russians convinced Mexico to let them put missiles in Tijuana? Would we let that slide?

I may support some action by our government but not blindly or without question. For all we know BushCo thinks a war in Poland would be a good excuse to get out of Iraq with the added bonus of starting a nice fresh war that would allow Cheney and friends to continue picking our pockets for another decade.

[Arrowhead2k1]

23. They are defensive missles capable of only stopping a minimal amount of missles incoming from

the Middle East(Read: Iran). It's not like we've just put nukes on Russia's doorstep. Russian officials have even been invited to oversee the operation itself. It's not designed to stop most Russian missles from reaching North America. Most Russian missles would go over the polar icecap anyways. The Russians are just upset that they've lost so much control within their old Soviet sphere of influence. But they need to face it, the Soviet Union and Russian communism has collapsed. They cannot be allowed to rebuild it.

[Karenina]

24. Yum! KOOL-AID!!!

[Dollface]

28. I don't think they care about communism. But they do care about power. I have no illusions about

their desire to reinstate authoritarian rule. Best case scenario, both sides are just getting into negotiation postures. I just think we can't give BushCo another opportunity to undermine our civil liberties by playing the fear card. Pooty and Chimpy both make me as nervous as a Canadian in Mississippi.

[Terran]

22. B-b-b-but!

The Neocons based everything on us being the only Superpower! WAHH!!

Oh wait...Russia still has nukes? Silly Neocons.

[Arrowhead2k1]

5. Somebody needs to nip this Russian resurgence in the bud immediately.

The Russian leadership are capable of much worse than any neocon alive can ever imagine and must be contained. This is a case where it's imperative to side with the lesser of two evils. Just ask Alexander Litvinenko and Viktor Yushchenko.

[arendt]

6. I'd rather go back to MAD than be held hostage by the neocons...

In this case, getting anyone, including the Russians, to stop the neocons is the lesser of two evils.

Oh, wow, two oligarched-up thugs get offed in a glorified gang fight, and that's worth a nuclear war? Your priorities are sadly out of touch with reality.

arendt

[DIKB]

38. Better

to have evil without, than to have evil within. That would be ideal, but the evil within is directly causing the resurrection of the Russian aggressiveness, and Iran went from western friendly (especially among the young) to distrustful as a result of the neocons.

Ousting the neocons would help the entire world, not just our country.

[tekisui]

7. Who, might I ask is in a position to do that?

What can the US do? We have squandered our respect and authority. Our military and treasury are broken?

We can talk tough all day, but what's going to stop Russia in the end?

[Arrowhead2k1]

10. That's part of the problem.

Bush has indeed fucked us up royally and left us with little leverage to actually do something meaningful on our own. Truly worrisome... But something needs to have been done like yesterday to show the Russians that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated. Don't get me wrong, the Georgians have some blame in this situation as well, but it is clear to me that the Russians want to accomplish much more on the world stage than liberating Georgia's rebel regions.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

9. Contained how?

There's no point in saying WE MUST DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS without offering a solution.

[Arrowhead2k1]

11. They maybe can be contained with massive outpouring of negative public opinion

I dunno, I'm not a policy maker and I'm not neccessarily advocating military intervention. All I'm saying is that we can't allow this kind of Russian empire to reemerge.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

18. The only leverage anybody has over them is to stop...

...buying their oil and gas. And that ain't gonna happen. We need to deal with them reasonably, not isolate them.

[stillcool]

15. Ask the people in Iraq...

and all the other countries the United States has intervened with military action over the last 50 years who is worse.

Killing Hope
U.S. Military and CIA Interventions since World War II
by William Blum
published by Common Courage Press in 1995
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Blum/KillingHope_page.html

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

17. Or the Ossetians.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

16. Go for it, Rambo.

[bertman]

32. Arrowhead, the only reason the neocons are not yet as evil as Putin & Co. is because they are

still trying to maintain a very thin veneer of American values until they get McAnus elected. After that all bets are off. Those people are as evil as anyone on the face of this planet. They just dress it up better.

And, as another poster noted, why don't you ask the Iraqis if the neocons are better than the Ruskies.

[populistdriven]

35. I imagine the Neocons are working with Georgia towards some type of false flag nuclear incident

probably planned for early October,

[sourmilk]

34. I agree with you about the Russian leadership, BUT:

Who else are they supposed to target? If the Russians made a deal with Mexico and Canada to install parts of a "missile defense shield" there, would the USA not be entitled to shit a brick, as well?

[DailyGrind51]

36. Don't count on the "ham-handed" Bush administration!

Though, if the shit hits the fan, it is better for it to happen under a Republican president so that Democrats don't have to share the blame!

[Odin2005]

40. I agree.

And if the Russia apologists want to bash me for saying that they can go right ahead.

[dysfunctional press]

41. poppy and unca dick worked to hard on the script to just trash it all now...

that's why obama should pick wes clark as his running mate.

[Andy823]

8. The "August" surprise!

Once again the republicans are using this for political gains. McCain is going to start a new "cold war" in hopes of brining in independents, and even democrats who still hate the idea of Russia taking over the world! McCains only hope is to scare the shit out of voters, and what better way than making Russia the "boggy man" once again! I don't agree with what Russia is doing, even though I do think Georgia is as much to blame, along with the U.S., as Russia. Georgia thought the U.S. could be behind them, and did a very stupid thing, Russia took advantage of this and is taking Georgia out of the picture by destroying military targets. Bush is pushing his "missile" defense plan when he knows it will piss off Russia. I would hate to live in the countries Bush is taking advantage of now, like Georgia, Poland will find out that trusting Bush is not really a good idea!

[cliss]

13. Memo from Cliss to Poland:

Do you really believe the US will protect you?

Just take a close look at Georgia.
no further comment:smoke:

[bemildred]

25. Yeah we will, they're part of NATO.

The US Senate is more than ready to die for Poland.

[DailyGrind51]

37. Exactly! If the U.S. fails to honor its commitment to a NATO member, NATO collapses!

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

14. Oh, joy. Cuban Missle Crisis redux. All for the sake of a pissing contest.

And, the people that all these blowhards are allegedly "protecting" will suffer the most.

[KharmaTrain]

19. Seems No One Noticed This Tidbit From Last Week

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/cuba/story/628702.html

Associated Press

MOSCOW -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is calling for Russia to regain its influential position in former Cold War ally Cuba, Russian news reports said Monday.

The statement comes amid persistent speculation about whether Russia is seeking a military presence in a country just 90 miles from the United States in response to U.S. plans to place missile-defense elements in Poland and the Czech Republic.

''We should restore our position in Cuba and other countries,'' Putin was quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.

Putin spoke Monday while hearing a report on a recent Russian delegation's trip to Cuba. Vice Premier Igor Sechin and others met with the Cuban leadership and discussed an array of cooperation projects.

Looks like we could have a new October crisis...but the cynic in me thinks this is all a game...Putin only gains from Gramps being a "threat"...all these war criminals are tied in by their bloodlust and oil greed.

[nickn777]

20. These statements always go unchecked.....

After General Nogovitsyn made this threat, someone should have responded, "Do you realize the the West has 10,000 nuclear warheads capable of hitting your country within an hour?".........."Still thinking you are gonna nuke Poland you fool?"...

I mean seriously, I think the "General" knows he would get 5 times as many back that he threw at Poland.....

[tekisui]

21. Great, let's call their bluff!

It's escalation. Even if it is big talk, it stokes the fires.

[elehhhhna]

26. Of COURSE this makes them a first-strike priority. Duh.

Even I knew that. Ya think they don't?

[gulliver]

27. But at least the country is in good hands during this crisis.

What could be more comforting than knowing that, as Russia reasserts itself, the United States is in the capable hands of George W. Bush. Solid, Republican leader, George W. Bush. Calm, cool, collected George W. Bush, a worthy man to lead our country through dangerous confrontations with nuclear powers. A gifted diplomat and statesman, quietly confident, serene, contemplative, wise, compassionate.

Thank God we aren't in the hands of a semi-conscious, damaged buffoon.

On edit: Sorry, cross-posted this from the DU in the alternate universe. Hope I didn't get your hopes up. You guys are screwed.

[gordianot]

29. If Poland is attacked "Nuclear or Conventional" Article 5 of the NATO Treaty is invoked.

An attack on any one NATO member is the same as an attack on all. A Nuclear attack on Poland according to treaty obligations would be the same as a nuclear attack on the United States or Great Britain. If I recall correctly NATO also has access to nuclear weapons through members who possess those weapon. Also a threat against any NATO member is the same as a threat against all.

ARTICLE 5

The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against them all, and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective selfdefence recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so attacked by taking forthwith, individually, and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.

Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.

[Senator]

30. Only Impeachment Can Keep This At "Bay Of Pigs" Level

... and stop the spiral toward nuclear crisis and/or WWW3.

No Happy-Hopey Talk from the http://talkingimpeachment.com/blog/Hall-of-Shame-Inductee----Barak-Obama.html">cowering Obama is going to cut it with Putin.

Neoconmania/bushcheneyism can only be stopped if it's actively rejected in the name of the American People. The only mechanism by which to raise objection and confront their incompetent, violence-only-based "power projecting" lunacy is to impeach for their past crimes and depraved folly.

These chickenhawk chess-board-dumpers are fully operational outside of US Gov't structure. They can only be neutralized with a public branding of ANTI-US-VALUES ROGUES -- preferably literally at some point.

Waiting any longer to reassert the decades-old, bipartisan adherence to trusting moral authority over warhead totals could well result in loss of thousands of more American lives in foreign lands -- and risks even more cataclysmic possibilities.

People need to stop toying with the electoral belly-button lint that is "The McCain Angle" and see what Failure to Impeach is reaping in the real world.

===
www.talkingimpeachment.com

[bertman]

31. Senator, I implore you to have a chat with your esteemed colleague Speaker Pelosi, so she may see

the error of her ways.

[DU GrovelBot]

33. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

==================
GROVELBOT.EXE v4.1
==================



This week is our third quarter 2008 fund drive. Democratic Underground is
a completely independent website. We depend on donations from our members
to cover our costs. Please take a moment to donate! Thank you!

[Odin2005]

39. Russia can go straight TO HELL.

They have no right to threaten and f*ck around with our allies.

[Heywood J]

42. I congratulate you for not managing to see any sort of provocation there.

Excuse me while I piss in your breakfast - you have no right to threaten or fuck around with anyone.

[PassingFair]

44. I think you watched "Red Dawn" one too many times.

:eyes:

[mentalsolstice]

43. I love me some Cold War, it makes Tom Clancy relevant again! nt