Hillary: ‘Defense Umbrella’ Over Gulf

Clinton Hints at ‘Defense Umbrella’ to Deter Iran


By MARK LANDLER

July 23, 2009

PHUKET, Thailand — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that the United States would consider extending a “defense umbrella” over the states in the Persian Gulf region if Iran does not bow to international demands to halt its nuclear program.

Her comment, delivered at a freewheeling town hall meeting in Bangkok, was both a warning to the Iranian government and a glimpse of how the Obama administration might cope with a nuclear-armed Iran, should Tehran continue with what Washington says is a sustained effort to acquire nuclear weapons. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only.

Mrs. Clinton later said that she was not articulating a new American policy toward Iran, merely demonstrating that Iran’s pursuit of a nuclear weapon would not give it the safety and security it believes it would.

A defense umbrella in the Persian Gulf would move the United States closer to the explicit security guarantee that Washington gives allies in Asia, though that is a nuclear umbrella — a term Mrs. Clinton did not use Wednesday. She did talk about fortifying the military ability of Iran’s neighbors.

“We want Iran to calculate what I think is a fair assessment that if the U.S. extends a defense umbrella over the region, if we do even more to support the military capacity of those in the Gulf,” she said, “it’s unlikely that Iran will be any stronger or safer, because they won’t be able to intimidate and dominate, as they apparently believe they can, once they have a nuclear weapon.” …

A senior administration official also said Mrs. Clinton’s remarks did not reflect a shift in the administration’s policy of preventing Iran from obtaining a weapon.

“She is making an argument to Iran about why they should not do this,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because only Mrs. Clinton was authorized to speak publicly on such issues…

We realize that Ms. Clinton is desperate to get back into the spotlight. But she should consult with her boss, Mr. Obama, before she makes such statements.

She seems to have not gotten the news that Mr. Obama has already practically renounced any such missile defense programs, or even any “weapons in space.”

But we’re sure the North Koreans were fooled. Just like they were when her husband was President.

Mind you, this is the same smartest woman in the world who earlier suggested that we should encourage North Korea to eschew nuclear weapons by doing away with our own.