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The Next Attack
If the terrorists had missiles, can we doubt they'd use them?
Friday, September 14, 2001 12:04 a.m. EDT
Can anyone doubt that if the terrorists behind Tuesday's attacks had had access to a ballistic missile, they would have used it? Why settle for toppling the World Trade Center if you can destroy all of New York in an instant, without having to go to the trouble of sneaking a crew over the border and arranging for pilot training in Florida?
It's hard to believe, but there are some people who think the main lesson of Tuesday's attack is that we don't need national missile defense. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy looked at the carnage and noted that "today our threat is not a threat of somebody launching a nuclear missile against us." So because we couldn't defend against hijacked airplanes that kill thousands, we aren't supposed to defend ourselves against threats that could kill millions.
Do we still need missile defense? You better believe it. (Wall Street Journal; E-mail registration required; no fee).

Also from WSJ: -- Before Tuesday's attacks, Senate Democrats had staged their own raid on President Bush's missile defense proposal, cutting back on even the $8.3 billion he had requested. In the aftermath of Tuesday's attacks, both Democrats and Republicans pledged to set aside differences over missile defense to focus on new strategies for dealing with terrorism. Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Armed Services Committee and the Senate's most implacable foe of missile defense, struck the right note: "We cannot be divided at this time on any subject." He said he would try to work out an agreement with the Republicans, but if that failed he would defer any fight. The ranking Republican on the Committee, John Warner, agreed: "We've got to build a bridge on missile defense."

The President's plan for missile defense ought to go forward with all speed. It's a realistic blueprint to develop and deploy a layered defense against ballistic missiles in all three phases of their trajectory--boost, mid-course and terminal--and builds on promising research and already-deployed theater missile technology. If anything, and in Tuesday's wake, it may be too modest. [End Excerpt]