The Best Offense Is A Good . . .

BLUNT, MCCASKILL LEERY OF OBAMA SHIFT ON MISSILE DEFENSE

Sen. Claire McCaskill joined Congressman Roy Blunt in raising questions about President Obama's plan to scrap a missile defense system for eastern Europe.

CONGRESSMAN ROY BLUNT STATEMENT:

“Seventy years ago today, the Soviet Union invaded Poland. And, today, at the Russians’ request, the Obama Administration has agreed to abandon the missile defense shield developed to protect our close allies in Eastern Europe. The administration’s decision to scrap the missile defense plan is incredibly shortsighted and comes at the expense of our allies in the War on Terror," said Blunt in a statement.

"At the same time, the vice-president is defending this thoughtless decision by claiming that Iran does not pose a threat to our security or to that of our allies. That statement could not be farther from the truth. Iran has refused to discuss its nuclear program, but it is clear that Iran’s missile and nuclear activities are true threats to the United States and our allies. Appeasement of dangerous nations does not inspire peace. We must stand firm and send the signal that we will not back down when the safety of Americans and our allies is at stake," Blunt added.

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SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL STATEMENT:

"I am concerned about the Administration’s abrupt decision today to cancel the long-planned missile defense deployment to two important allies, the Czech Republic and Poland. In July, the Senate unanimously adopted the Lieberman-Sessions amendment that stated that the U.S. missile defense system in Europe should be capable of protecting the United States and Europe. I urge the Administration to explain to the American people and our European allies why this decision is in the best interest of our collective security against the Iranian threat – right now we have been given too little information to be sure that this is the best path forward," McCaskill said.