Cord Byrd: “I was troubled by President Bush's announcement this morning to withdraw the United States from the Anti-Ballistic…”

“I was troubled by President Bush's announcement this morning to withdraw the United States from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972. This development has earth-shaking implications for our national security, especially in considering the potential range of reactions from Russia and other nuclear powers, including China. Arms control is bound to become more difficult as these countries work to make sure that their nuclear deterrent can still work when--or if--we successfully deploy an anti-missile system. While bringing us no closer to realizing a workable national missile defense system, withdrawal from the ABM Treaty signals to the world that the United States seeks a dominant, not a stable, strategic nuclear position. I do know that China has twenty missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons to our shores. As a result of this move by the President against the ABM Treaty, I have no doubt that China will seek a larger, more sophisticated nuclear arsenal. Does that make the United States more or less secure? What about our allies and friends overseas?”