Word: stinger
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Reagan's reply to all these concerns was to strike an attitude of poised calm, even when taking firm action. The President last week invoked his emergency powers to sell Saudi Arabia 400 shoulder-fired Stinger antiaircraft missiles and to provide a fourth aerial tanker, a KC-10, that can refuel Saudi fighters in flight. The moves were intended to help the Saudis protect shipping from Iranian air assault in the Persian Gulf. Kuwait promptly made an unofficial request for Stingers; the U.S. suggested it turn to European suppliers...
Reagan made it clear that he does not believe a real emergency exists in the gulf, at least not yet. He used his extraordinary powers principally to avoid the delay that would have ensued if he had asked Congress to approve the Stinger sale to the Saudis. Noting a respite in the attacks on gulf shipping, the President told foreign TV correspondents, "It appears that, rather than getting worse, the situation has quieted somewhat. So maybe it's going to turn out all right." Washington officials emphasize that the U.S. would be extremely reluctant...
King Hussein's public statements expressing concern over this country's pro-Israel bias were long overdue [WORLD, March 26]. The Government's retaliation by immediately canceling the Stinger missiles to Jordan unfortunately proved his point...
...Administration reacted defensively to the criticism. Secretary of State George Shultz argued that the King's criticism had made congressional approval of the Stinger missile sale "extremely difficult." And sure enough, when faced with the fact that at least 55 Senators were known to be opposed to the sale, the White House withdrew its request. To some degree, the Stinger debacle hurt the Jordanians, though they were considering other options, including the purchase of similar weapons from France or the Soviet Union. What suffered most, amid the sense of spiraling failure of American interests in the Arab Middle East...
...mullet pole for a baseball bat and tempt him with the upscale life. But every paternal gesture meets with failure or misunderstanding. His sex lecture about contraception, for example, leaves Simons with the impression that the body part in question "is some kind of electric eel or polyp stinger you have to insulate with rubber...