Say No to NATO?

Let’s see: Gates wants to cut $100 billion from the defense budget over the FYDP.  Ron Paul and Barney Frank want to cut $1 trillion from the defense budget over 10 years.

How can such things be done?  With great difficulty.  Such difficulty could include having the U.S. back away from its current funding for security free-riders (or nearly free-riders) such as many of those in NATO.

Here’s the money line from the link: “America’s membership in NATO is supposed to protect America, not make other states more secure by increasing the risk to Americans.”

It’s impossible to argue with that statement.

Russia Attempts To Play It Both Ways?

The Russians warrant scrutiny.

Let’s see: public announcement Russia will provide fuels for Iran.  Despite being off-limits via the recent UN sanctions, selling Iran S-300 air defense systems hasn’t been waved off.  Also, Iran is capable of making trouble in Russian “areas of influence.”

This means the administration will have to keep sweetening their deals to keep the Russians holding fast to their current position, which regarding Iran, has recently supported general U.S. actions.

Wonder if the spy trade was part of the sweetening?  That could have been embarrassing…

This also brings to mind the reliability of the Russians in important things like missile warning and missile defense.  We need stone-cold reliable partners and it would take a hand-waive of miraculous proportions to describe the Russians in such a manner.

Senate Authorizers Move NASA Away From Commercial Space

Senate authorizers have taken the administration’s etch-a-sketch for NASA, turned it upside down, and shaken (not stirred) violently.

Granted it’s only an authorization bill and it hasn’t been sent to the full Senate, reconciled, or signed into law.  However…it will have legs.

The biggest deal in the near-years is it halves the Obama request for commercial space.