Mitch Landrieu: “the need for a national missile defense system is real. The North Korean Taepo Dong tests, the Iranian Shahab III…”

“the need for a national missile defense system is real. The North Korean Taepo Dong tests, the Iranian Shahab III project and the uncertainty resulting from unexpected nuclear tests in India and Pakistan underscore the palpable threat that we now confront. Today, we signify that the United States has no intention to allow its foreign and national security policies to be held hostage to weapons of terror. In this sense, this bill will provide a real incentive against nuclear proliferation. By embracing a system of counter-measures that will grow progressively stronger in the next century, we tell the North Koreans, the Iranians and any other country thinking of threatening this nation with ballistic missiles, that those efforts will fail. They may as well spend their modest resources on something constructive for their people, because the United States intends to commit whatever resources necessary to ensure our security. That we will be able to send this message with bipartisan resolve, makes it that much stronger.”