By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R) from Alabama, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued a statement following President Obama’s controversial comments to Russian President Medvedev that were accidentally captured by an open microphone at a public appearance of the two world leaders.
Senator Sessions said, “President Obama’s ‘hot mic’ comment to Russian President Medvedev reveals that he is sending one message to Russia about our nation’s defenses and a contradictory message to Congress and the American people. I have stated my concern for a long time that President Obama is insufficiently committed to missile defense, a concern heightened and validated by this unsettling incident.”
Sen. Sessions said, “President Obama has repeatedly insisted he favors missile defense but the ideological left from which he arose has intellectually opposed missile defense for decades, as they did during the Reagan years, believing that it hampers the formation of a close international community. President Obama already scratched the Polish site to great consternation.”
“The meaning of the ‘hot mic’ moment is unmistakable: President Obama wished to send a secret and direct message through President Medvedev to Prime Minister Putin that, if he is re-elected and has ‘space’, he will acquiesce to Putin’s demands that the United States scale back its planned missile defense system,” concluded Sen. Sessions.
The controversy began when President Barack H. Obama was meeting with outgoing Russian President Medvedev in South Korea. “On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space,” President Obama could be heard saying to President Medvedev. “Yeah, I understand,” Pres. Medvedev replied. “I understand your message about space. Space for you … .” Pres. Obama then said, “This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility.” Pres. Medvedev replied “I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir,” referring to Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin, who just won an election to succeed Mr. Medvedev, who previously was the Prime Minister while Putin was the President. Russia’s Constitution required that the autocratic Putin not serve as President for more than two terms back to back.
Governor Mitt Romney, the likely Republican challenger to Pres. Obama, told a crowd in San Diego that the President’s remarks were “an alarming and troubling development.” Sen. Rick Santorum said, “Ronald Reagan didn’t whisper to Gorbachev, ‘Give me some flexibility,’” Santorum said. “He walked out of Iceland and said, ‘You either do this, or we have no deal.’” Obama had asked Medvedev to “give me a little space, buddy … then I’ll throw some other of our allies under the bus.” Speaker Newt Gingrich, told CNN, “I’m curious: how many other countries has the president promised that he’d have a lot more flexibility the morning he doesn’t have to answer to the American people?”
Congressman Mo Brooks has introduced H.R. 4125, The U.S. Missile Defense Information Act of 2012, to prevent President Obama from giving American missile secrets to the Russians. Rep. Brooks recently said, “Multiple news sources have reported that the Obama Administration may share our missile defense secrets with the Russians. We are concerned these reports may be accurate, particularly because President Obama has publicly stated his willingness to violate the amendment I sponsored, and Congress passed, that prohibits the President from sharing America’s ‘hit-to-kill’ and other sensitive and expensive missile defense technology with Russia. I introduced this bill to protect American lives and protect decades of costly research and innovation. Congress acted to ensure this sensitive ‘hit-to-kill’ technology cannot be used against our own troops in the field, or Americans here at home.”
