Floyd Spence: “Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4 is a 15-word bill stating, and I quote, ``That it is the policy of the United States to deploy a…”

“Mr. Speaker, H.R. 4 is a 15-word bill stating, and I quote, ``That it is the policy of the United States to deploy a national missile defense.'' The bill is clear in its intent, elegant in its simplicity and reflects a bipartisan belief that all Americans should be protected against the threat of ballistic missile attack. Mr. Speaker, the biggest frustration of my life, as chairman of the Committee on Armed Services, has been to persuade our own government to protect our own citizens from nuclear attack. This is a threat that is not sometime in the future, it is a threat that is here this minute. As a matter of fact, the threat has already passed. There is a scenario about President Yeltsin of Russia getting on the hot line to our President and saying the following: ``Mr. President, some dumb fool has pushed the wrong button over here and we've got an intercontinental ballistic missile with 10 multiple reentry vehicles on it heading your way. We can't call it back, we can't shoot it down, and thought you ought to know about it.''”