General Warns Obama Not to Cave to Russia

The fact that Gen. Obering would warn Obama via a public method tells me there is already talk of Obama abandoning Bush's stance on Russia. More accurately, when asked about continuing to support the missile system in Poland, Obama had no comment. Obering, no doubt, see this as a problem and is doing what he can to put pressure on Obama to do the right thing.

Despite objections by Russia, the outgoing head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency urged President-elect Barack Obama on Wednesday to stick to the Bush administration's plans to place missile defenses in Eastern Europe.

Dropping the planned installation of missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic "would severely hurt" U.S. ability to protect against Iran's growing missile force, said Lt. Gen. Henry Obering of the Air Force.

It would also undermine U.S. leadership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which fears "an emerging threat from Iran that must be addressed," he told reporters in a teleconference.

It is important to continue work on the planned European installations or risk "falling behind the power curve" as Iran develops its capabilities, Obering said. "That's why we have to kind of stay ahead of this threat, not try to catch up after the fact."

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev greeted Obama's election victory last week with a warning that Moscow would station short-range missiles near Poland's border to "neutralize" U.S. plans for interceptors in Poland and a related radar in the Czech Republic.