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Bush: Iran could hit U.S. with nukes by 2015
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President Bush arrives to speak at National Defense University’s Distinguished Lecture Program during his visit to Eisenhower Hall Baruch Auditorium at Fort McNair in Washington, Tuesday.
WASHINGTON (Map, News) - President Bush warned Tuesday that Iran could strike the U.S. with a nuclear missile by 2015 if Democrats in Congress keep slashing funds for a missile defense program.
“Iran could develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States and all of Europe before 2015,” Bush told an audience at the National Defense University in Washington. “We need to take it seriously — now.”
Bush, the first president to deploy a working missile defense program, railed against the Democratically-controlled Congress for hampering efforts to expand the program to protect U.S. allies in Europe.
“Congress has cut our request for missile defenses in Europe by $139 million, which could delay deployment for a year or more and undermine our allies who are working with us to deploy such a system on their soil,” he said.
Democratic leaders did not immediately respond to the president's remarks on missile defense, although they criticized his broader request for $46 billion to continue the war on terror.
“The colossal cost of this war grows every day — in lives lost, dollars spent, and to our reputation around the world,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat. “The choice is between a Democratic plan for responsible redeployment of our troops and the president's plan to spend another trillion dollars for a 10-year war.”
Bush was unapologetic about his request for funding, including millions for missile defense.
“My administration made a commitment to the American people then that we will defend you against all forms of terror, including the terror that could arrive as a result of a missile,” he said. “And we're keeping that commitment.”
The president’s plans for missile defense also extend to U.S. allies in Asia.
“Our decision to make missile defense operational was validated in July of last year, when North Korea launched a series of destabilizing ballistic missile tests, including testing a system our intelligence community believes is capable of reaching the United States,” he said. “So a test North Korea intended to showcase its power became a demonstration that the pursuit of ballistic missiles will ultimately be fruitless.”
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Examiner Reader said:
i am no big fan of g.w bush but the mess this country is in can not all fall at his door congress played right in there to, a president can only go as far as congress goes along with,to me the whole bunch are do nothings and the very little they have done has been garbage and has been for years clinton was no peach eaither he sighned nafta on his way out so guess whos lap that big flop landed in, between it and billions of dollars poured out into two countries for two wars and then the china free trade agreement,there is no wonder our ecomoney is shot.
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Examiner Reader said:
one well placed nuclear bomb would stop iran for good they need to keep thinking the usa dont have the means to stop them if it needs to thats there crazieness
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Examiner Reader said:
We are SO TIRED of your scare tactics. You need to go play war somewhere else and not with the lives and hard-earned tax dollars of Americans!!!!
178 agree | 173 disagree
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John Yao said:
I trust nothing that comes out of the mouth of our "beloved" president Bush. He is the biggest idiot to ever hold the post of the presidency. Just like a lot of great empires throughout human kind, Bush will one day represent the turning point of which the USA will start going down as a world power nation.
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Edgar from Miami,Florida said:
Bush seems to love to spend money on "His War", but has yet spent much money on the victims of Katrina and the forest fires of California
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Examiner Reader said:
It is always easy to screw those who were stupid enough to work for us such as Saddam . We are so damned blind enough to realize too late that the real enemy is IRAN. It is also true that we, the US killed Saddam by Iraqui proxy. Without our invasion, Saddam is still in power and is an antidote for Iran .
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middleclass2008 said:
Don't worry, the war with Iran will happen soon enough. And THE DRAFT will come back too. Bush has only another year and a half left to wreak havoc on the world. That's plenty of time to find a way. We need to stop him, and then show our leaders what we really think of them... PUT THEM ALL BEHIND BARS... where they belong. Google "middleclass2008" to find an Independent Presidential Candidate who will do just that!
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Examiner Reader said:
I find it no surprise that a Jewish senator, well lobbied by AIPAC, would want the USA to fight another war on behalf of Israel. The only threat Iran will be in that region is to Israel alone. There are no threats to our country. After all, is Iran more fanatic that Pakistan? Shame on our American senators taking our country to war for the sake of preserving Israel, a country that constantly spies on us and when it doesn't get its way openly criticizes us. Ray B.
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