Political Quotes

“I commend my colleagues who were involved in drafting this amendment on missile defense. The hard work that went into the crafting of this compromise is strong evidence of both the importance of the issue and the dedication of the members and staff who spent many days and nights attempting to defense common ground on this critical issue. Their efforts, and the several votes we have already had on the fiscal year 1996 Defense authorization and appropriations bills regarding missile defense will be viewed one day as the turning point in the debate on defending America and American interests against ballistic missile attack. There are elements of this compromise that I am satisfied with. For example, section 232(9) contains the following language: ``Due to limitations in the ABM Treaty which preclude deployment of more than 100 ground-based ABM interceptors at a single site, the United States is currently prohibited from deploying a national missile defense system capable of defending the continental United States, and Hawaii against even the most limited ballistic missile attacks.'' While some might find virtue in being defenseless against even the most limited of threats--a threat not even contemplated during the negotiations of the ABM Treaty--I do not. This defenselessness can only serve as an invitation to those with interests that are hostile to our own to develop or acquire the capability to put the United States at risk from long-range ballistic missiles.”