Obama's naivete toward Russia

IN HIS Oct. 27 op-ed "Our future with Russia," James Carroll wrote that John McCain "has been relentless in his anti-Moscow belligerence, harping especially on rapid NATO expansion to squeeze Russia, and even calling for its expulsion from the G-8."

Carroll didn't reveal that McCain's call for expulsion from the G-8 was his response to the Russian invasion of Georgia. McCain was quite justified in taking this position.

Russia has been quite belligerent toward its former satellites. For example, when Poland accepted only 10 US anti-missile units that posed no threat, Russian Colonel General Anatoly Nogovitsyn said, "Poland, by deploying [the system], is exposing itself to a strike - 100 percent."

Barack Obama not only has been naive toward Russia, but in an appeal to Caucus for Priorities, he articulated many proposals for disarmament based on unfounded assumptions that others would follow suit.

Both Obama and his running mate, Joseph Biden, are naive on arms control. On Oct. 12, 1999, Biden said verification was a "red herring," and said the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty under President Reagan was "unverifiable." Actually, according to a Federation of American Scientists report, this treaty had "the most comprehensive verification regime achieved to that point."

Reagan achieved the INF Treaty through strength, not weakness. The Russians have now threatened withdrawal, which they might well do if Obama becomes president.

GILBERT STUBBS
Wellesley