Political Quotes

“My colleagues, we are in space. We are in space in a way that is inextricably linked with not only our missile defense system but almost all of our systems. If we take a look at the architecture for our space systems, we have in space literally everything from weather and the environment, to navigation, to surveillance and reconnaissance, to missile warning, to communications. The successful intercepts that we have made now out of the Kwajalein Test Range took place 148 miles above the surface of the Earth. I want to read the amendment of my friend, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Tierney): ``No funds appropriated for fiscal year 2003 for the Department of Defense may be used for a space-based national missile defense program.'' Now, in the first place, we simply have a missile defense program, not a national missile versus a theater missile defense program, because we are now dealing with a number of missiles which have varying rates of speed and distances.”