Obama to reduce restrictions on arms exports

[Schadenfroh]

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE67T09F20100830

President Barack Obama on Tuesday will outline steps his administration is taking to revamp U.S. export restrictions on defense and high-tech goods, which is expected to lead to thousands of less sensitive items being decontrolled, senior administration officials said.

I applaud Obama for streamlining the arms export process so that our defense contractors can better arm our friends and allies. Defense is one area the US excels in and provides a great number of jobs. More revenue, more exports, more jobs!

I just wish we had the balls to sell the F35 to Taiwan.

 

[Generator]

Well it gives Republicans the dignity of not having to sell arms to mexican drug gangs...not that they won't. And yes, we are good at exporting death to the world. Who said the US wasn't a manufacturing economy?

 

[Bateluer]

Well it gives Republicans the dignity of not having to sell arms to mexican drug gangs...not that they won't. And yes, we are good at exporting death to the world. Who said the US wasn't a manufacturing economy?

Wut? Republicans are selling weapons to Mexican dug cartels? When did this happen? Take your crap else where.

On the topic subject, this makes me wary. Obviously, we want to better arm our steadfast friends and allies, but once the tech is out the door, we lose control over it. Who's to say it wouldn't end up in the hands of someone less friendly to us? I don't see a list of the 'less sensitive items' in the article either.

Eventually, the administration wants to create a single control list run by an independent single agency outside of the Commerce Department or State. It also wants to create a single enforcement agency. All three goals require congressional approval and are not expected to happen to this year.

That makes me curious as well, more government bloat and bureaucracy that will need tax payer funds to bank roll? Or loans from China?

 

[PeshakJang]

More people dead overseas = more jobs for America.

This will probably save/create at least 100 billion jobs.

Heckuva job, Barry!

 

[Vette73]

Actually a good thing IMO. Russia and many other countires sell stuff much worse then we do. At least this way we get in on the action as well.

 

[Doc Savage Fan]

Seems odd that a Nobel Peace Prize winner would do this.

 

[LumbergTech]

Seems odd that a Nobel Peace Prize winner would do this.

he already basically stated that he didnt take the prize seriously

 

[Darwin333]

Actually a good thing IMO. Russia and many other countires sell stuff much worse then we do. At least this way we get in on the action as well.

Well someone has to sell stuff to the people that we don't like.

Plus its a good way to make "buddies" with nations that have something that you want or might want in the future like oil or just a good way to exert some control over another nation.

 

[Darwin333]

he already basically stated that he didnt take the prize seriously

Does he still have the medal?

 

[werepossum]

Sounds like a good idea to me, decontrolling anything that doesn't specifically need to be classified and reducing paperwork for our allies. As long as he isn't selling arms to hostile (to the USA, not Obama personally) nations I think it's a smart move.

 

[DisgruntledVirus]

Does he still have the medal?

He sold it to China to help pay back some of those loans

 

[Anarchist420]

I'm so damn sick of his disregard for George Washington's and Thomas Jefferson's advice about alliances.

 

[rudder]

Seems odd that a Nobel Peace Prize winner would do this.

He was like the healthcare bill. You had to elect him before you could really find out what's inside. And yes... that is a politician in there.

 

[PeshakJang]

He was like the healthcare bill. You had to elect him before you could really find out what's inside. And yes... that is a politician in there.

"You don't expect me to actually know what my own beliefs are... I have experts to do that for me... it's a bunch of legal-speak anyway."

 

[xj0hnx]

Well it gives Republicans the dignity of not having to sell arms to mexican drug gangs...not that they won't. And yes, we are good at exporting death to the world. Who said the US wasn't a manufacturing economy?

Pretty sure the "Dumbest Statement of the Year" contestant slots are all filled, but for that one the judges may be able to squeeze you in.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Didn't the President watch Iron Man?

 

[manimal]

Didn't the President watch Iron Man?

LOL


In actuality this is a good thing. If our allies were properly armed -germany, Japan - they would be less dependant on our subsidized army presence in those countries. While morally I disagree with the move in general I have to be a realist and see the world as it is.

Imagine a world where we didnt have to have 300-500k troops stationed in foreign countries?
Imagine a world where our spending on the military went back to 1980s levels....

I see this as part of Gates legacy. The leaning and modernizing of both our military and our foreign military policy...

If they just had to the balls to go all in....

 

[Darwin333]

LOL


In actuality this is a good thing. If our allies were properly armed -germany, Japan - they would be less dependant on our subsidized army presence in those countries. While morally I disagree with the move in general I have to be a realist and see the world as it is.

Imagine a world where we didnt have to have 300-500k troops stationed in foreign countries?
Imagine a world where our spending on the military went back to 1980s levels....

I see this as part of Gates legacy. The leaning and modernizing of both our military and our foreign military policy...

If they just had to the balls to go all in....

As an added benefit, if we can get them to blow the hell out of each other it makes it much cheaper and easier for us to blow up whatever either of them has left.

 

[Darwin333]

He sold it to China to help pay back some of those loans

Hell, lets nominate him again! Maybe this time for economics?

 

[MovingTarget]

I'm so damn sick of his disregard for George Washington's and Thomas Jefferson's advice about alliances.

I tend to agree with this sentiment, but how does this relate to streamlining export controls processes?

 

[werepossum]

I'm so damn sick of his disregard for George Washington's and Thomas Jefferson's advice about alliances.

Obama (and Lord knows I'm no fan of the man) is arguably more in line with that portion of their thought (avoiding foreign entanglements) than was either Bush or for that matter Clinton.

Personally, although I would love to see the USA become positively isolationist economically and geopolitically, I think World War II proved that with modern technology and strategic mobility military isolationism is a dangerous thing, as oceans no longer provide the barrier they once did. Regardless, as MovingTarget said, selling arms through a more streamlined process is not necessarily the same thing as an entangling alliance. Singapore for instance has a booming defense export business and if I remember correctly is treaty-bound to defend no other nation.

 

[dmcowen674]

Does he still have the medal?

He probably threw it in the water like Kerry did so the Swiftboaters can make a comeback in a couple of years.