The Mister
09-13-2001, 05:08 PM
<font size=2>From Sunday's Meet the Press:
SEN. BIDEN: They [the Bush leadership] have no big picture. They don’t come up and tell us what is their policy toward China; what is the policy toward Russia, what is the policy-it’s constantly missile defense. And I just don’t see it as a defense. And, by the way, while we’re building missile defense, what about the rest of our priorities? I’m holding hearings on the homeland threat. I have people like Sam Nunn and others testifying and saying, Look, the threat from pathogens being dispersed by a terrorist organization or a Third World country is much, much, much greater than anything likely to happen, an ICBM striking us.” We have the Baker report...
MR. RUSSERT: Will missile defense protect us from that?
SEN. BIDEN: Missile defense will protect us from virtually nothing. Even if the missile defense works, the limited defense - and they don’t define what that is, Tim - the limited missile defense will, in best, you’re talking about 90 percent. When you and I were in college, there used to be an expression, “One nuclear bomb could ruin your day.” What’s this idea? What we are doing - it will not protect us from cruise missiles. It will not protect us from something being smuggled in. It will not protect us from an atom bomb on the rusty hull of a ship coming into a harbor. It will not protect us from anthrax. It will not protect - all of which the Defense Department says are much more likely threats than somebody sending an ICBM with a return address on it, saying, “We just struck you,” knowing they’ll result in immediate annihilation.
So let's get a head count of who thinks the president's position will now change... Well, I'm not raising my hand. I bet one dollar (yes, an *entire* dollar!) that Bush says sometime before this is over that this event gives us all the more reason to have a missile defense system.
(Well, maybe... what do I know?)
SEN. BIDEN: They [the Bush leadership] have no big picture. They don’t come up and tell us what is their policy toward China; what is the policy toward Russia, what is the policy-it’s constantly missile defense. And I just don’t see it as a defense. And, by the way, while we’re building missile defense, what about the rest of our priorities? I’m holding hearings on the homeland threat. I have people like Sam Nunn and others testifying and saying, Look, the threat from pathogens being dispersed by a terrorist organization or a Third World country is much, much, much greater than anything likely to happen, an ICBM striking us.” We have the Baker report...
MR. RUSSERT: Will missile defense protect us from that?
SEN. BIDEN: Missile defense will protect us from virtually nothing. Even if the missile defense works, the limited defense - and they don’t define what that is, Tim - the limited missile defense will, in best, you’re talking about 90 percent. When you and I were in college, there used to be an expression, “One nuclear bomb could ruin your day.” What’s this idea? What we are doing - it will not protect us from cruise missiles. It will not protect us from something being smuggled in. It will not protect us from an atom bomb on the rusty hull of a ship coming into a harbor. It will not protect us from anthrax. It will not protect - all of which the Defense Department says are much more likely threats than somebody sending an ICBM with a return address on it, saying, “We just struck you,” knowing they’ll result in immediate annihilation.
So let's get a head count of who thinks the president's position will now change... Well, I'm not raising my hand. I bet one dollar (yes, an *entire* dollar!) that Bush says sometime before this is over that this event gives us all the more reason to have a missile defense system.
(Well, maybe... what do I know?)