[fogarty]

What the f**k kind of good is as Missile Defense System if Bush keeps the borders wide-open? Does it make a difference if we can take down ICBMs with a single shot yet allow a thousand illegal immigrant Osama bin Laden wanna-be's through our borders?

Jorge Bush is seeing a mole in his backyard and ignoring the rampaging mammoth destroying his living room.

[pfflier]

The critics said that humans could never travel over 60 MPH or death by asphyxiation would result.

The critics said that man was not intended to fly

The critics said that commercial air transportation was impractical, that steamships would rule the Atlantic.

Critics said that a sound barrier existed that would destroy the plane and it's pilot.

Critics said that color TV was impossible.

Critics said that heart transplants were impossible.

See a trend yet?

[maestro]

1st strike 'can' work very well!

[Chu Gary]

"Critics said the program is too costly -- tens of billions of dollars already and potentially hundreds of billions of dollars in the long run -- and has not proven that it can work as advertised."

RIGHT!, Instead, we should spend these monies on things that work as advertised, like Affirmative Action, Welfare, Head Start, etc. - things that have clearly worked really, really well.

Of course, OTOH, if any of those re-distribution of income programs could demonstrate a 62.5% success rate, I think even us cynics might agree that they show promise!

[GOP_1900AD]

All the "MAD hatters" are clearly livid about this. Can't continue to use lack of continental defenses to blackmail the sheeple into ongoing appeasement of future enemi... oops, make that "trade partners" (e.g. PRC, Russia, etc...). Well, in truth this is a very modest system indeed, and with the scheduled unilateral nuclear disarmament, is only a drop in the bucket. But still, I just love to see Upper West Side "MAD hatters" squirm as their shop keepers' Fukuyamaian, utopian world view (e.g. "world trade will suspend war between great powers forever") is challenged, even if only in a small way! ;)

[Tony Niar Brain]

I'm going to get flamed for this, but I have very little confidence that this missile defense system Bush wants to build will be an effective one. It has done okay thus far in tests, but that is just that - tests. I have read the material from that professor from MIT, and I'm inclined to believe his writings. IMHO, there are more cost-effective ways to stop Americans from being obliterated by warheads.

[Publius6961]

These "critics" fall into one of two groups: either they are the domestic touchy-feely types who fear for their funding for gay alcoholic chickens hooked on drugs, or the out and out agents of foreign powers who are just doing their jobs.

Of course according to them lots of things may not work in real life: airplanes, radar, kites, VCRs, toilets, microwave ovens... you get the drift.