July 17, 2006 :: Human Events :: Analysis
In light of North Korea’s test launch of a Taep’o-dong 2 long-range ballistic missile, Human Events recently interviewed several leading Democratic senators who had filibustered the 1998 American Missile Protection Act, which had called for deploying a national missile defense system “as soon as technologically possible.” At the time, the Democrats argued that deploying a missile defense required abrogating the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which they believed to be a key component of nuclear arms control. Human Events wanted to know whether their views had changed following recent events.
Senator Joe Biden (D-DW) stated that he did not regret his decision to filibuster, reaffirming his belief that “missile defense is not the answer.” He added that the U.S. could always destroy North Korea’s missiles with a preemptive strike, illustrating how a lack of missile defense can force such options onto the table. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) stood by his 1998 vote as well, declaring that “Star Wars wouldn’t make us any safer today, because we spent a hundred billion dollars and it still wouldn’t work.” Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) added that “the headlong rush to get anything going might have ironically harmed our ability to proceed.” Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) also stated that he did not regret his vote. (Article)
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