[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 79 (Wednesday, May 14, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E922-E923]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        LETTER TO PRESIDENT BUSH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, May 14, 2008

  Mr. KUCINICH. Madam Speaker, I sent the following letter to the 
President on May 13, 2008:

     President George W. Bush,
     1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC.
       Dear President Bush: I strongly urge you to reconsider 
     Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's trip to the Czech 
     Republic in early June to sign the European Ground-Based Mid-
     Course Defense, GMD, agreement. You have urged that the 
     United States Ballistic Missile Defense System must include a 
     European theatre to defend the country against an Iranian 
     deployment of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, ICBM. I 
     remain unconvinced that the arguments for the European GMD 
     are valid.
       The claim that the GMD will prevent a missile attack on the 
     United States stands in contravention of the facts. Iran 
     would have to overcome the many technical difficulties 
     associated with development and deployment of long-range 
     ballistic missiles. The longest range missile that Iran has 
     tested is 1,600 kilometers. The straight line distance from 
     Tehran to Washington, D.C. is 10,186 kilometers. The United 
     States has never deployed a missile with this range. Our 
     longest range missile, the MX or Peacekeeper, has a range of 
     approximately 8,000 kilometers. Only five countries have 
     deployed any long-range ballistic missiles to date.
       In fact, it is conceivable that the U.S. will have its own 
     technical difficulties to overcome before such a system can 
     be proven viable. Two stage interceptors, proposed to be used 
     in the European GMD, have never before been flight tested and 
     therefore have no proven track record of viability. The Test 
     and Evaluation department of the Pentagon cautions that many 
     more tests under realistic conditions would be needed before 
     conceding our capability to shoot down an offensive missile.
       The citizens of the Czech Republic and Poland clearly 
     reject the proposed agreement. Public opinion polls in the 
     Czech Republic reflect strong opposition to the placement of 
     the radar in their country. A poll conducted in the summer of 
     2007 shows that three-quarters of the population is calling 
     for a public referendum on the proposed agreement. Opinion 
     polls show that a consistent majority of the Polish public is 
     opposed to the agreement and argues that they feel no 
     particular threat from Iran. However, they indicated that the 
     installment of interceptors would strain diplomatic relations 
     with Russia. Similar concerns have been voiced about the 
     prospect of Czech participation in the installment of the 
     radar.
       The GMD proposal has by some accounts exacerbated U.S.-
     Russia relations. The U.S. has shared information but not 
     meaningfully

[[Page E923]]

     cooperated with Russia in these negotiations. Because the 
     Czech Republic and Poland fall within the boundaries of 
     former Russian influence, U.S. actions with regard to the GMD 
     have been perceived by Russia as an intrusion. There can be 
     no doubt that U.S. efforts to impose the GMD are perceived as 
     an obstruction to the diplomatic ties between our nations.
       Assertions made by the Administration that the U.S. ICBM 
     system could be used to protect the European Union reflect a 
     flawed policy. If the Administration is concerned about the 
     threat of ICBM attack on Europe it should cooperate with the 
     international community to address these concerns instead of 
     pursuing even more unilateral international policing. NATO is 
     a better forum in which to address these concerns.
       The timing of Secretary Rice's trip to sign the agreement 
     is also questionable. The Conference Report for the FY 2008 
     Department of Defense, DOD, authorization requires an 
     independent assessment of the two stage interceptors as well 
     as an independent analysis to assess alternatives to the 
     European GMD. The assessment will not be released until after 
     Secretary Rice's trip. If the assessment finds the GMD and 
     the interceptors to be as unnecessary, unviable, and 
     counterproductive to diplomacy as I have outlined in this 
     letter, it will make it difficult to turn back. Additionally, 
     the December 2007 National Intelligence Estimate on Iran 
     states that Tehran halted its nuclear program in 2003 and as 
     such, reaffirms the lack of an impending nuclear threat to 
     the United States from Iran. This further confirms that there 
     is no urgent need to sign a formal agreement with the Czech 
     Republic in June.
       The viability, necessity and prudence of the fulfillment of 
     a formal agreement with both the Czech Republic and Poland on 
     the European GMD are called into question. Furthermore, this 
     $4 billion project will be solely funded by U.S. taxpayers. I 
     urge you to cancel the upcoming trip by Secretary Rice to the 
     Czech Republic and instead focus on the more pressing 
     diplomatic efforts that are needed to protect U.S. security 
     through our relationships with the international community.
           Sincerely,
                                               Dennis J. Kucinich,
                                               Member of Congress.

     

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