Dems Cut $1.3 Billion From Missile Defense

Fox News ^ | 09/07/01 | AP

[Typhoon]

WASHINGTON

[Typhoon]

Instead of cutting programs we need why dont they try cutting their own damn pay.

[eureka!]

Thanks Jeffords you a-hole...

[goldstategop]

At a time when our ally Israel is accelerating plans to deploy its own national missle defense system cutting $1.3 billion from our own NMDS is stupid. Do the Democrats think this country shouldn't be at least as well protected as our closest ally from potential threats by armed adversaries? You'd think they'd know better than to mess around with this country's national security.

[mrsmith]

"The administration is trying to strike a deal with the Russians to replace the ABM treaty with an arrangement that allows for national missile defenses. "
No.
No.
No.

...Ballistic missile defenses.
High altitude and boost phase missile defenses are mostly outlawed by the ABM.
They are needed to protect our sailors and soldiers around the world.
Their use in National missile defense is just fortuitous.

[LarryLied]

Levin, Feingold, Boxer, Schumer,Daschle,Feinstein,Wellstone , Wyden,Lautenberg,Dorgan,Sarbanes,Bingaman and 19 other Democrat Senators tried to kill missile defense last year. Everyone should be contacted and asked if they endorse Israel building such a defense and why, if it is so good for Israel, it is not good for the USA:

Israel Plans Anti-Missile Defense

[Frohickey]

I wonder where the Senate Democrats want to spend the $1.3 billion at? Perhaps, education or the ponzi-scheme Social Security or Medicare?

I do not see education or Social Security or Medicare in the United States Constitution.

I do see defense though.

[goldstategop]

Exactly. This is no time to be faint-hearted and the Democrats are sending the Russians and the Chinese the wrong message that they will get rid of the national missle defense system that's been a thorn in their sides. Whoever said politics was supposed to stop at the water's edge hasn't seen the Democrats recent behavior on foreign policy and national security beginning with Tommy Daschund's criticism of the President back in June during his European trip and culminating now with the vote to take a whack out of our NMDS.

[KC_for_Freedom]

I do not see education or Social Security or Medicare in the United States Constitution. I do see defense though

You are so right. What are these "defenders of the constitution" up to?

[mrsmith]

"What are these "defenders of the constitution" up to? "

They are trying to "controversialize" the Defense bill so that it is the last appropriation bill voted on.
By adding small amounts, here and there, to each of the other spending bills, they will force Bush to the choice of not spending enough on defense- or raising more revenue.
This is what the Dems always do.

[LarryLied]

This is an issue they are handing to us on a silver platter. Republicans support Israel. Those evil evangelical Christians are the most feverent supporters of Israel. All we want is for the Jewish Democrats who also support Israel to give the same consideration to our country. It drives them insane when we point out their hypocrasy.

[Hidy]

I don't think anyone in the country would object if we decided to do what Israel is doing -- put Arrow defensive missles along all our borders. Personally, I don't think we'll need very many of them on our border with Canada, but better to be safe than sorry, I guess.

Even the liberals would settle for a U.S. perimeter bristling with Arrow missles, considering that it would be a lot cheaper than the Star Wars anti-missle shield Bush is talking about, and would work every bit as well.

Plus, we already know that building Arrow missles is actually possible.

[LarryLied]

I've been expecting this schuck and jive. Oh...this is not the same thing at all! Yeah right. You and I both know that Jewish Democrats would support anything which helps Israel. And more power to that for that. I'm all for it. But let them give the same consideration to the USA, and don't give me this nonsense.

[El Gato]

Instead of cutting programs we need why dont they try cutting their own damn pay

Wouldn't ammount to much, unless they threw in the pay of their staffs, and it still would be a relatively small amount. Now if they'd cut everything not authorized by the Constitution, that would be alot of money. We'd be able to cut taxes a bunch more, and still have a military, with such devastating weapons, so well supplied, trained and manned, that it would have the Red Chinese, et. al., suddenly becoming verrry polite.

[El Gato]

Personally, I don't think we'll need very many of them on our border with Canada, but better to be safe than sorry, I guess. ... Plus, we already know that building Arrow missles is actually possible.

Arrow is good for short to medium range systems. There is no country within short to medium range of the U.S. that has any kind of missles, hmm, well maybe Brazil. Arrows would do us little good, anything coming in from the north, as most everything is likely to, would require something with greater capabilities. A true "Star Wars" system, that is space based defense, would protect not only us, but anybody anywhere in the world that we wanted to protect. We know even "Star Wars" is possible. No physics against it. How difficult it may prove to be, only trying will tell. I lean toward the "Brillant Pebbles" concept, but space based lasers (maybe of the same type as will soon be flying around in a 747) and other directed energy weapons have promise for the longer term, and building them would *probably* lead to more usefull "breakthrough" technology than would the BP concept.

[eureka!]

Re#3 Apparently not. Soundbites and feelings trump common sense in this day and age. *sigh with prayers for the children*....

[Yougottabekidding]

I was recently on business at the MAKS 2001 airshow near Moscow. While I did not go over to the weapons displays, I was really impressed with the flight displays and current level of quality engineered into the latest civil aircraft. As an A&P with 22 years in the aviation business, and a comprehensive background including inspection, overhaul, management, line maint, avionics - LMP release authority, etc., > I inspected several of their aircraft very closely for quality standards and compliance. "Awesome", is my feeling about the Be-200 and Tu-204/214 especially. There are many other examples in helicopters, general aviation, etc. I have developed respect in a place I once reserved for "other" feelings.

Policy-makers over here need to understand we do not live in a vacume, and that a market economy in Russia is now driving economic decisions, as well as funding systems development. Aircraft currently in production in Russia are designed to ICAO standards accepted by authorities world-wide. The Sukhoi flight exhibitions gave a very sobering impression of the direction they took several years ago toward greater aerodynamics and improved performance characteristics of their aircraft. Vectored-thrust engines allow maneuvers previously unobtainable by any aircraft, including all of our current fighter forces. Russia is going to sell - successfully - these new aircraft to all buyers, while the more expensive technologies made here (eventually) will prove unobtainable by foreign countries due to extreme expense. The largest problem is that Russia's customers will include many former US customers for fighter aircraft, and that even our air forces will not be equipped with the next-generation aircraft (JSF) for many years. NOW there is a vacume!

Worse, now that all the '80s and '90s b/s rhetoric about "stealth" technologies is being proven questionable, we are left with a procurement plan and unmarketable fleet of aircraft that will place us BEHIND Russia and some other nations in the defense marketing sector.

The time is now to get a "TRANSPOLAR" Free Trade Agreement WITH Russia, and realise a market system is ruling the sea and air. Trade is the strategy we need to employ. Not weapons-first dipolomacy.

[BJungNan]

Sad bump (Today's tears as horrible as they are could be much worse).

[ruBrick]

This is the great day of shame for those who ridiculed and resisted Reagans SDI.

But this will change the face of American politics. Now the American public can imagine the use of such things as a missile defense and consent to fork over the dough.

Bye Bye ABM treaty!!!

Hello... WHAT?? It is hard to predict what the face of AMerican politics will be. While it looks like Bin Ladins' group is the enemy, we really don't know who the enimy is yet.

We must pray for wisdom as we mourn the dead.

[BJungNan]

We must pray for wisdom as we mourn the dead.

Yes, I agree with you. We must get the correct people that did this. That is what America is about: Justice.