John Bolton implied today that political reasons are behind Defense Secretary Robert Gates’s support for President Obama’s decision to change the European missile defense strategy.
“Secretary Gates is, how should I put this, he’s a survivor in Washington,” Bolton told Fox News. “I think he saw the direction of the White House. Sen. Biden, Sen. Obama, Sen. Kerry, in their day, never believed in national missile defense … They haven’t changed their view at all. Secretary Gates has now moved in their direction. You can draw your own conclusions.”
Martha MacCallum, the Fox anchor, asked if he was saying that Gates is compromising his military opinions to please the White House.
“I think the intelligence analysis they’re basing this on is highly theoretical,” he responded. “I would protect America.”
Gates was the only member of the Bush cabinet to stay on with the Obama administration.
Bolton called the new missile defense plans “an unambiguously bad decision,” and “naive and dangerous.”
Video after the jump.
He said the move is a “signal of weakness” which will encourage hostile countries such as Iran. He also seemed to imply that the missile defense shield was a protection against Russia, something the Obama administration says isn’t true.
“In Poland, they know their history, even if the White House apparently does not. Today is the 70th anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Poland in 1939,” Bolton said. “What a day to tell the Polish government that we’re gonna pull out this missile defense site.”
