Thomas Daschle: “let me compliment the distinguished Senator from Michigan for his work in accommodating the dual priorities our two…”

“let me compliment the distinguished Senator from Michigan for his work in accommodating the dual priorities our two managers have attempted to address over the course of the last couple of days as we consider the issue of missile defense and the need to ensure adequate resources for homeland defense. We are debating what may be one of the most significant amendments to one of the most important pieces of legislation to come before the Senate this year. I am surprised, frankly, that objections have been raised to the Levin amendment. Both the Warner and Levin amendments agree that if additional resources become available to the Pentagon, only two programs, missile defense and counterterrorism, would be eligible for these resources. The only difference, as has just been described in the colloquy between our two colleagues on the Armed Services Committee, the only difference is that Senator Levin's amendment would put Congress on record that combating terrorism should be our top priority. After what America and the world witnessed on September 11 and the subsequent actions discussed in reports from intelligence agencies since, I question how anybody could challenge that this should be our top priority. How could anyone think, in the short term at least, we are more likely to be a target of a ballistic missile attack than another terrorist incident?”