Political Quotes

“I am pleased to address the Senate to applaud the leadership being shown by President Bush during his visit with leaders in Europe. I like the straightforward and forceful way he is expressing his views on international security issues, especially on the subject of missile defenses. In March, the President dispatched senior administration officials around the world to discuss with leaders of other nations the plans he was considering to deploy defenses against ballistic missiles. The Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, and high-level administration teams have worked hard to ensure that our friends and allies understand why the United States intends to deploy these new defensive systems. This week European leaders are hearing directly from the President his personal views on this issue. At his first stop in Madrid, President Bush said that the task of explaining missile defense "starts with explaining to Russia and our European friends and allies that Russia is not the enemy of the United States, that the attitude of mutually assured destruction is a relic of the Cold War, and that we must address the new threats of the 21st century if we're to have a peaceful continent and a peaceful world."”