In a surprising announcement this morning, one that confirmed suspicions that began circulating on Tuesday evening, President Obama announced that the US would scrap plans for a missile defense shield for eastern Europe, essentially reneging on promises that the Bush administration had made that were intended to bolster the security of Poland, the Czech Republic, and the European Union. Instead the President pledged stronger and swifter defense systems, and said that based on Pentagon’s recommendations he would shift the focus to defending against missile threats from Iran that would be viable in the short and medium term. Although Obama’s statement was brief, speaking from Baghdad Vice-President Biden hinted at the logic of behind the decision saying “Iran is not a threat†and “I think we are fully capable and secure dealing with any present or future potential Iranian threat.â€Â But all are not in agreement on Iranian capabilities, pointing to their successful satellite launch; essentially a demonstration of missile technology that could easily be converted to military use.
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Reaction from overseas was mixed to be sure. In the Czech Republic, Social Democrat leader Jiri Paroubek and “activist†Jan Tamas expressed relief and called it excellent news; of course, both were major opponents of missile defense and loathe to the idea of foreign soldiers being stationed on Czech soil. Likewise, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen praised what he called, “A positive step†that would “improve the involvement of all NATO nations.â€Â And the decision was also hailed by Gordon Brown who said that, “Non proliferation remains a very high priority for the United Kingdom.”Â
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As would be expected, the Russians were overjoyed with this development. Although Russia’s NATO envoy warned against “childish euphoria†over the announcement, Mr. Medvedev, Russia’s President, said that he appreciated the responsible move by the US and was willing to continue dialogue. State Duma foreign affairs committee head Konstantin Kosachev told the Associated Press: “The U.S. president’s decision is a well-thought (out) and systematic one. Now we can talk about restoration of (the) strategic partnership between Russia and the United States.â€Â But, they evidently weren’t quite pleased enough to agree to any new round of sanctions against Iran, perhaps one of Obama’s motivating factors in the sudden termination of this longstanding defense plan. Just today the Russian foreign minister, Mr. Lavrov, said that his country firmly opposes any new sanctions and believes that such a move would ruin hopes for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear situation. So, it looks like the Russians have accepted Obama’s olive branch, and repaid him by slamming the door in his face !
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On balance though there were more negative reactions than positive. Where to begin? Let’s start here at here at home. John McCain said he was disappointed with the seriously misguided decision, and warned that it could undermine US standing in Eastern Europe amid worries there of a resurgent Russia. Senate Republican whip Jon Kyl called the decision “dangerous and short sightedâ€, and warned that “it would send a chilling message to former Soviet satellites who had braved Moscow’s anger to support the systemâ€. And former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton blasted Obama, “It’s just an unambiguously bad decision,†he went on to say, “Russia and Iran are the big winners. I just think it’s a bad day for American national securityâ€. Even some of the Democrats are quietly asking the President just what we are going to get out of this concession.
According to Michael Goldfarb of “The Weekly Standardâ€:
This represents a complete capitulation to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, who had demanded that the proposed deployments be halted as a price for improved relations. Ironically, the Obama administration, which is appeasing Russia in the hopes that Moscow will help put pressure on Iran, has made this mammoth concession just a few days after Moscow declared that it had no intention of supporting sanctions against Iran.
The consequences of this action in Eastern Europe, especially in Ukraine and in other countries that feel vulnerable to Russian power, will be disastrous. It is a major American retreat in the face of Russian bullying. And we will get absolutely nothing for it.
[emphasis-ed.]
Goldfarb also points out that the administration is being dishonest on their policy “fact sheetâ€:
The White House has put out a “fact sheet†on their policy of Russian appeasement/missile defense surrender. The fact sheet says that the new approach — focusing on SM-3 and sea-based systems (presumably in Turkey) — will “augment our current protection of the U.S. homeland against long-range ballistic missile threats.†That is a lie. This system will provide zero, nada, zilch protection to the U.S. homeland, providing only defense against short- and medium-range missiles to Europe.
The fact sheet says this system will protect “our Allies in Europe sooner and more comprehensively than the previous program, and involves more flexible and survivable systems.†That is a lie. The system that was being placed in Poland is already operational in Alaska. These new plans will now take years of negotiations to implement and will necessarily be less survivable as they will not be underground.
There’s that unfortunate “L†word cropping up again; but I guess Goldfarb is just another racist, you know, as opposed to citing stubborn fats and inconvenient truths. Take a moment and read the whole thing; that the administration would feel the need to smear missile defense in order to justify appeasing the Russians is appalling.
David Frum makes a convincing argument that Obama is heading for a foreign policy disaster; it doesn’t take a preview reel to see that coming attraction.Â
In Eastern Europe, Former Czech and Polish leaders expressed a mixture of surprise, dismay, and angry resentment. Czech legislator Jan Vidim indicated that this development would negatively color future relations between the countries:
“If the administration approaches us in the future with any request, I would be strongly against it,”
In fact Poland’s prime minister refused to take Secretary of State Clinton’s telephone call! And former Polish President Lech Walesa was quoted:
“American has always cared only about its own interests, and those of others only serve the US. Now we have another example of this,†he said in a television interview. “I can see what kind of policy the Obama administration is pursuing towards this part of Europe. We should reconsider our approach to the United States.â€
I’m sure the former leader of the famous “Solidarity†non-communist trade union, whose movement led ultimately to a succession of anti-communist revolutions in Eastern Europe, was especially pleased that the announcement of this historic double-cross coincided with the  anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland; 70 years ago on this day. I wonder if Obama prefaced his statement to the Polish diplomats by wishing them a happy Molotov-Ribbentrop day?
Meanwhile, according to today’s “Kiev Postâ€:
Diplomats here say Moscow hardliners could read the shield backdown as a sign of Washington’s weakness. Far from doing the bidding of the United States, they may instead press for further gains to shore up Russian power in the former Soviet bloc.
…
Analysts are particularly concerned about Ukraine, which faces a presidential election next January. Most of Russia’s vast gas exports flow through its territory and the country reluctantly hosts a large Russian naval base.
Russia has already rebuked Kiev for its “anti-Russian” stance and refused to deal with President Viktor Yushchenko, tactics which recall those used with Georgia in the period leading up to last year’s war.
In a sign of the level of concern, one senior Western envoy here privately estimated the chances of a Russian military intervention in the Crimea over the next year at 50-50
[emphasis-ed.]
But perhaps some of the most startling reactions to this are found in the British newspapers; that have a more gloves-off style, and are far less worshipful of Obama than many of their US counterparts.
Nile Gardiner of “The Telegraph UK†thinks it’s all about appeasing Russian aggression:
This is bad news for all who care about the US commitment to the transatlantic alliance and the defense of Europe as well as the United States. It represents the appalling appeasement of Russian aggression and a willingness to sacrifice American allies on the altar of political expediency. A deal with the Russians to cancel missile defense installations sends a clear message that even Washington can be intimidated by the Russian bear.
[emphasis-ed.]
And Gardiner is not the only skeptic; Toney Halpin rips the President for selling out not only Eastern Europe, but indeed the entire EU:
By trading the loyalty of Poland and the Czech Republic to satisfy Russia’s security concerns, the United States is signalling that it no longer contests Moscow’s right to assert its interests in Eastern Europe.
Ukraine and Georgia’s chances of entering Nato over Russian objections have diminished further. The timing is disastrous for Ukraine in particular, given the Kremlin’s determination to reverse the pro-Western Orange Revolution and ensure victory for a pro-Russian candidate at presidential elections in January.
The Baltic States, already in Nato, will be feeling a chill as they ponder an even more assertive Russia. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have been among the Kremlin’s most vocal critics but Nato’s new Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has declared a “true strategic partnership†with Russia his top priority.
The Bush Administration delighted in emphasising relations with the “new Europe†of former Soviet bloc countries, often at the expense of recalcitrant “old Europe†of Germany and France on foreign policy.
Mr Obama has shown that the US is no longer playing that game. He wants Russian help on Afghanistan and Iran and is leaving Europe to resolve its own relationship with Moscow on everything from energy security to historical grievances.
The Kremlin can barely believe its good fortune. Mr Obama has pressed the “reset†button to improve relations without obtaining anything more than permission for US aircraft to cross Russian airspace on resupply operations for troops in Afghanistan.
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In fact, Moscow may become more intransigent, arguing that Washington itself no longer takes the threat as seriously as it did by cancelling the missile-defence shield. Any such argument would only harden Israel’s determination to act.
Some analysts in Russia have begun cynically to ask whether the Kremlin wants to see a war in Iran, arguing that this would send oil prices soaring and replenish state coffers emptied out by the economic crisis.
[emphasis-ed]
Smart Power !…The kind we heard about during the last election…
Smart Power !…Bolstering our nation’s missile defense program by, you know, canceling the deployment of forward interceptor batteries…
Smart Power !…An Orwellian statement essentially proclaiming that weakness is the new strength…
Smart Power !…Throwing our allies under the bus, or more like to the Russian wolves bear; and all we get is a Bronx cheer, the one finger salute, and a shoulder shrug accompanied by absolutely NO movement on the issue of Russian enabling of the Iranian regime; not even the bone of a minor utterance about the danger of a nuclear armed Iran…
You know who I’ll bet thinks this is Smart Power, besides Obama? General Electric !
Shortly after the pullback on the shield program was announced, Russia’s government said Prime Minister Vladimir Putin would meet several U.S. executives on Friday from firms including General Electric, Morgan Stanley as well as TPG, one of the world’s largest private equity firms
That would be the same General Electric whose CEO sits on Obama’s economic recovery advisory board; the same General Electric that owns MSNBC. So I guess all those crappy ratings resulting from the network “selling out†in order to get Obama elected were worth it, eh Jeffrey? If wonder if they promised that Olbermann would name Putin, “The Best Person in the Worldâ€, in order to ice the deal?
Is anyone else experiencing deja-vu?
Facilitates a rogue Iran, led by a fanatical leader bent on Israel’s destruction?…Check
Shows the “wimp hand†instead of the “pimp hand†to the Russians?…Check
Takes a bad domestic economy…And makes it worse?…Check
Cancels or truncates advanced military systems in the pipeline…Check
Willfully diminishes our military or squanders our advantage...Check
Tells all Americans they have to “sacrifice†and/or “cut back. Check
Now if in the coming months Captain Brilliant! comes out with a lame statement along the lines of, “Putin Liedâ€, or, “Medvedev Liedâ€, like Jimmy Carter did when he lamented that “Brezhnev Lied!†about his intent to invade Afghanistan, then I’ll be sure. He’ll be a worse President than Mr. Carter. But short of that, he’s only tied for the worst! So until then I think I’ll call him Jimmybama…Because of the Smart ! Power…
UPDATE: Darleen over at Protein Wisdom links to an interesting NRO piece by the editors of the same.
UPDATE II: J.E.Dyer at Commentary magazine weighs in on what he calls Obama’s “Ostrich” defense.
[...] 2: Don’t miss Dan Collins’ incredibly detailed post on this topic. H/T Bob [...]
I guess it might be a good idea to buy stock in GE?
Stock in Poland, the Baltics and Israel, maybe not so much.
At least they will have company under the Obama bus.
Too bad for all the “little people” in many nations, some not even born yet, who will pay the price to get back to where we all could and should have been at a much lower cost.
The Obamas, Putins and Bidens get to play the game but we furnish the skin for the ante and the raise.
I wonder if all the Polish-Americans in Chicago will keep voting Dem after this.
Probably.
When they lose Jay Leno, have they lost the country?
Excellent analysis, Rocketman.
It is near impossible to explain – I mean really explain this particular move by DC – but it is mighty significant, especially if one recalls the history of Eastern Europe.
No one can say the Poles have nothing to fear. And with Germany and the UK geldings both… well, we may see the Corridor claimed once again.
But, you know, they are expendable – being Catholics and all.
But are these smelly Socialist Poles good Catholics, herr Grand Sorter of Catholics? Would they survive your coming anti-abortion purges! And what if they believed the world was round, not flat!
Why in the fuck is your snout where it doesn’t belong, Eno, the self-anointed King of Purges? You don’t know your dick from Poland. Wasn’t it you, King of Purges, who was a coon-skin capped flint lock rifle-sporting and pioneering defender of the United States Constitution just a week or so back? Yeah, so show me where in the grandeur of your delusions does the Constitution allow for an American paid for missile defense system to be planted on sovereign Polish soil? At a tune of $5-billion U.S. taxpayer dollars to-boot, ya tea-baggin’ twerp.
Let’s see, so far you’ve been claimer to the titles of ordain-er of authentic Irishness, wherein the Kennedy brothers, the eldest a fallen WW2 vet, another a famous former President of the United States of America, another a candidate for the office of President of the United States of America, and the forth, the youngest, a 47-year member of the United States Senate, besmirched the glory of every Irish American (“damaged it!”), which I personally translated to mean every other bar tender in South Boston.
Then there was Eno’s trist with being Moses coming down the mountain top for the benefit of the politically unaware American Jewry. The city Jews, you know, the ones who dominate academia and Noble Prizes, but who can’t figure out something as basic as which candidate they should vote for, at least not without Moses-Eno’s guidance, or maybe it’s Abraham-Eno, who can really say.
The latest incarnation is Eno, sorter and purger of Catholics. He’s counting heads, Pope people! He knows whose been naughty and nice, checking his list twice!
I doubt Jesus, the real one, partook in as much self-aggrandizement and self-inflating of importance as the Eno, King of Purges, the self-referencing judge, jury and wingered blog trumpeteer extraordinaire!
HA! McFistedAllaht – nice diatribe. to anser your… erm… charges, sir:
1) yes – I am a Constitutionalist – I consider the Bear a threat when the bear acts up, sir. And the bear always acts up – it is in his atheistic nature to do so – that would qualify as a foreign threat, you arse.
2) the Kennedy’s were no doubt Irish – but catholic in name only – though I cannot see into their hearts. One senses JFK was coming to his senses when he was murdered. His brother Bobby, who can say – his brother Ted “the dumb one” proved that no time was enough for him to see the light.
3) the practicing, God fearing Jews are my brothers, you ass. Our elders. To whom we Christians owe a great debt of gratitude. Israelis not so much. Jews they may claim to be – many are Jews in name only. Seems to be a trend. Likewise for “jews” in the United States that vote against their own theology’s professions. And, anyway, you will note that the man whose book I referenced is himself a Jew. I was only reporting, herr sludge.
4) hmmm – I seem to have touched a nerve with regard to ACORN catholics. These are a tricky lot who do not have the balls to join a church that shares their twisted, non-Catholic beliefs. Is it too much to ask people who claim the Faith to believe in her professions? There are plenty of more interesting schismatic churches who allow for all manner of curiously “christian” beliefs – one for every man.
5) You of all people should not preach what Jesus did or did not teach. There is nothing at all a Christian is called to do above defending the Faith. And pointing out falsehoods is a responsibility of those that would claim to be among His followers. But if you are Baptized, I will still think of you as my brother in Christ… misguided as you appear to this human – with all my faults and pride – to be.
6) Jesus was, in my estimation, not a hippy, you ass-face. In fact, I would suggest Jesus, that crazy rabble-rouser, could be downright hard-headed – I wonder if those of His time found His preachings offensive… oh, wait… yeah they crucified Him, didn’t they? He offended their sensibilities with his judgmental-ism, didn’t they? He insisted on the Truth, with no concern for His very life. You moron, we are called to do our best to follow in His footsteps – and I will be the first to admit I am doing a very poor job. I have a long way to go and I know it. Why does your conscience bother you so much, Judas? Have you betrayed Him?
It think you ought to regard your fellow Catholics’ beliefs as being as sincere as your own. If you want to break up the Catholic church, well, I suppose you’re entitled to your opinion.
Without hesitation one can say the late Ted Kennedy was a man of God, family and country. I came to like the guy more than I agreed with him politically. He did the best he could with the hand he was dealt, and sometimes his best wasn’t good at all. But through it all he proved himself more good than otherwise. I don’t imagine it was easy to be Ted Kennedy, but he managed to earn a good name for himself.
Your attempting to rip the man over nothing more than silly-ass petty politics speaks more of your politics than it does of Ted Kennedy.
BTW, Chris Matthews, the late Tim Russert, Tom Brokaw, etc.., all do well by their Irish roots. Irish herald from no political clan, but from a country.
And now I shall quote the great Derek Walcott from Roman Catholic Saint Lucia so that you might take a step back from the knee-jerk prejudices that afflict us all from time to time:
“I’m just a red nigger who love the sea,
I had a sound colonial education,
I have Dutch, nigger and English in me,
and either I’m nobody, or I’m a nation.”
Also, with respect to Caribbean men of letters, condolences to the many friends of relatives of Jamaican playwrite Trevor Rhone, author of comical and serious works, including the always enjoyable spaghetti western-styled The Harder They Come.
St. Paul was no hippie either. Unless you hadn’t noticed.
Ugh. #6 deserves to be deleted. A tad offtopic, I’d say.
You deserve to be warehoused.
Hey, Bob, weren’t the Russians threatening to place missiles in Kaliningrad just to laugh and show how it easy it was to defeat our 10-count Polish missile defense system. And what would we have done if the mad Russians simply blew up the installation? Send a trite letter to the U.N.? Because we sure as shit aren’t going to fuck with Russians, now are we.
Sometimes you have to know when to fold a poker hand, well, that is unless your a spendalholic rethuglican too stupid to take the advice of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretary of Defense, the one Boooosh appointed, poimyo.
I don’t know why you bother talking to sthor. Any point he may attempt to make (that the U.S. shouldn’t be spending money on defense of another country) is lost in his acrimony, insults, and delusions of grandeur.
you are much wiser than I – that’s for sure. And you make a good point.
Jhoward just posted this over at PW.
We’re fucked.
Type your comment here
You are ignorant of Catholic Theology, sir. This comment identifies you as one who knows nothing about Catholicism. I am not being mean – I am just pointing this out.
There is NO room for “opinions” or varied “beliefs” in the Church. In fact, the Church itself is very clear as to what it means to be Catholic. Now, none of us is perfect – but all of us are instructed to believe – and above all not to promulgate (scandalize) – “beliefs” that are foreign and therefore not in keeping with the Catechism.
If in the future, you wish to inform yourself, I hereby advance an invitation to refer to the Catechism of the Catholic Church – it is what we believe – even if we have trouble believing it and are praying to be guided by the Holy Spirit to understand a given position or positions.
Also, one wonders whether those who receive Communion without a full examination of conscience – and in many cases in spite of their open opposition to the Church’s professions – know that they are in mortal danger – that they have already been excommunicated by opposing the Church and failing to conform their will to the Will of God on earth. And, do they know that they only compound their fallen station by making a bad communion. They heap gravity upon gravity in this manner.
This is not my interpretation… it is not my opinion… it is the Church you should argue with, Thor – all 2000 years of men and women much brighter and in tune with the Creator’s will than I am.
You could have stopped right there, Enoch.
Prezident n00b.
We are so fucked.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090918/ap_on_re_eu/eu_nato_russia
Damn, looks like the neo-Confederate drooling keyboard warriors might have to find a new imaginary enemy of America.
I bet the new evil empire that must be destroyed will be Sweden, which sits on the fault line of Socialism. All those hot blue-eyed Swedish blond babes who stay all healthy and fertile with their government subsidized health care, it aint’ right. Those golfing and tennis playing swine! How dare they taunt America exceptionalism with their hot Helsinki hootch!
Annika Sorenstam versus Martina Navratilova; Sweden’s mere existence mocks Uncle Sam’s woody!
Death to Sweden! The rise of the White Angels must be stopped!
What in the world do you, Tom Drooley – thor – mcedgelysheepfucker, know about anything what’s blond and babeliscious?
Your best times come near the end of a bobbed tail.
Because he has the best-est avatar evuh.
The post above quotes a British journalist as writing:
[Suspension of the missile defense program] “… represents the appalling appeasement of Russian aggression and a willingness to sacrifice American allies on the altar of political expediency.”
Now, I believe that this move is short-sighted and wrong-headed, but given a certain “cancer-ridden” prisoner’s return to his homeland, don’t you think this takes some seriously big balls to write?
That’s true Cowboy…
I’ll have to check their archives and see what the writer thought about that whole kettle of fish…
edge,
To begin with, the missiles that were going to be stationed at Kaliningrad would not be the kind that the proposed Polish battery would have been used to intercept. That would have been handled by the Patriot missile batteries that would most likely have been deployed with the US troops who would man the BMD installation; or perhaps the EU block interceptors.
You see edge, that’s what was most important to the Polish and the Czech governments; the American soldiers stationed manning the installations…
Not only would these troops be a visible sign of the alliance between the US, NATO, and these nations, but the presence of US troops would make the Russians think twice before they pulled a move like they did in Georgia last year. You see edge, the Russians have a big enough army to push around the Georgians or bully the Ukranians and the Baltic states. But as big a legend as they are in your mind, and as occupied as our forces are in Iraq and Afghanistan, they would NEVER risk a full blown war with NATO and the US.
Of course, your man Obama just made the situation exponentially more dangerous by throwing our allies under the bus. He’s given the Russians carte-blanche to do what they want, and puffed up their ego’s , and their predisposition to act aggresively, as well. And for that he got ZERO concessions.
No help on Iran, No curbs on exporting weapons to Cuba and Venezuela, NOTHING! except maybe the promise of a photo op next week, where he can act like they cut a deal on reducing our nuclear arsenals, so our effin’ Narcissist-in-Chief can fulfill his nut-dream from college of NO-NUKES!…
And don’t talk to me of the joint chiefs. They’re politically savvy officers, who generally realize that regardless of what the President does the inertia will mean guarantee that things will resist quick change; so they sit there and act as yes men to make the President feel good about his agenda…
Were on my terrirory now, Mr. MFA, and I’m here to tell you that Obama lied through his teeth in his brief statement. Those SM-3 missiles that he says will fill the bill will not catch long range missiles; the ICBM style fly too high and fast for the SM-3’s. And the Iranians put an effin’ satellite in orbit recently-REMEMBER? That means they can easily utilize the same system to deliver nuclear payloads!; and the SM-3 most likely won’t be able to stop them…
And maybe more importantly, that battery was meant to intercept threats headed from western Asia towards to the US. DO you get it? The east coast is wide-the-fuck-open to missiles coming from western asia-THE MIDDLE-FUCKING-EAST-OR-SOUTHERN-RUSSIA, do you get it, champ?
And please, spare me the missiles-coming-to-the eastern-US-travel-over-the-pole talking point that I’ve begun to hear already. That’s crazy talk by folks that know nothing about orbital mechanics and spheroid navigation; it just can’t happen that way…
No, just like in his health care speech, Obama lied to the nation, and the world. He does it really smooth and all, but it was a bold faced lie designed to cover-up the fact that he was going to throw them under the bus ever since last February; just as he will do with the Israelis…
That’s the reason your ad hominem tu quoque argument about cost is so much more absurd. What is the security of our nation worth? Especially when we’ve already developed the means to protect her? Especially when we’ve got the means to protect the brave people who chanced the Russians wrath in order to join our alliance. What is their freedom worth?
Obama has brazenly lied about this affair. And he’s betrayed America, by refusing to give us the defense we are capable of. It’s as if we’ve gone to a gunfight with only one bullet in our gun, and our opponent has a machine gun with a full clip. Obama has ceded our advantage to the Russians, the Chinese, and anyone else with nuclear weapons who may choose to threaten our nation using an easterly flight path. And he wil recieve nothing of value for it. And the wort part is, I can’t tell whether that is his intent…
Having shown them weakness by squandering our edge, their efforts will quicken, and they’ll be emboldened. They’ll respect us even less, the whole lot of them; because tyrants and strongmen, great and petty, only respect strength.
With the batteries in place we could have dealt with them from a postion of strength, and used that leverage to convince them to see it our way. Instead, we’ll have Jimmybama Chamberlain waving worthless pieces of paper and waxing on in his sonourous baritone about how he has achieved, “Peace in our time…”
Great comment, Bob.
It’s as if someone shuffled their feet in some cold war-era shag carpet and sent a massive static charge straight into Bob’s nipples! Something made his nips stand tall, that’s for sure, but it wasn’t the sweet nectar of Russian pussy, which I assure tastes like it was freshly picked from an orchard in heaven.
Please, Moon Rocket Bob, stop stroking off onto pictures of ICBMs. It’s over. The Cold War is over. No mas Frio Bandito.
Axel !
…
McRodlickker !!
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Pay attention, boy, and fetch me my jigger !!!