Arlen Specter: “I am listed as a cosponsor, and I believe that it is an important statement of U.S. policy which we ought to adopt. This…”

“I am listed as a cosponsor, and I believe that it is an important statement of U.S. policy which we ought to adopt. This is one of the most direct bills that I have seen in my tenure in the Senate, providing: It is the policy of the United States to deploy, as soon as is technologically possible, an effective national missile defense system, capable of defending the territory of the United States against limited ballistic missile attack, whether accidental, unauthorized or deliberate. The most basic purpose of government is to protect its citizenry. The most basic purpose of the Government of the United States of America is to protect the people of the United States from foreign and domestic dangers. We have focused a great deal of attention on the threat of weapons of mass destruction, and the top of the list involves the issue of ballistic missile attack. Beyond ballistic missile attack, we know that there are many other concerns of biological warfare and chemical warfare.”