Jim Inhofe: “I think this might be an appropriate time to have that discussion because the Senator understands that I am talking here…”

“I think this might be an appropriate time to have that discussion because the Senator understands that I am talking here about theater missile defense, which we all agreed we needed when we voted in favor of the second go around on the DOD authorization bill. In addition, as I said, I believe we need to proceed with a national missile defense. Let me correct the Senator from North Dakota. It is not a $48 billion proposition. We already have a $40 billion investment in the essential elements a limited, but effective, national missile defense system. It would take about 10 percent of that to make the upgrades necessary to make such a system work. For example, we have 22 Aegis ships with launching capability floating today. That technology is here. It is paid for. All we need to do is upgrade it, giving it the capability to penetrate the upper tier so that if a missile does go forth from North Korea, Iran, Syria, Russia, China, or any place throughout the world, we could protect American lives. I think any time is an appropriate time to discuss that.”