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February 9, 2009

Biden: US Will Continue Bush Missile Program, But Open to Compromise
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Vice President Joe Biden has announced the US will pursue the Bush
administration’s controversial missile defense shield in eastern Europe.
Speaking in Germany this weekend, Biden said the US would continue to
develop missile defenses to counter what he called “a growing Iranian
capability.” But he left open the possibility of a compromise with
Russia, saying US-Russian ties should be repaired.

Vice President Joe Biden: “The last few years have seen a dangerous
drift in relations between Russia and the members of our alliance. It’s
time—to paraphrase President Obama, it’s time to press the reset
button."

The missile program has been widely derided as bellicose, expensive and
useless to its stated goals of protecting national security. Poland
would host ten ballistic missiles along with a radar site in the Czech
Republic. The Bush administration claimed the missile system would
protect Europe from Iranian missiles, but it’s widely seen as a
first-strike weapon.



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