Richard Shelby actually said...

"But are you concerned about the capability gap in missile defense for Europe as a result of this?"

"The Israeli cooperative programs that we've been engaged in is--provides them with missile defense in their backyard."

"So it's not an abstract concept, is it?"

"When you're doing R&D, you want to put your forces--I mean your resources in areas where there is promise, though, don't you?"