[First_Salute]

Already had one, in July of 1996, when TWA 800 was shot down.

[Alberta's Child]

Maybe I'm completely ignorant about this, but I was under the impression that a missile defense system would be practically useless against anything other than an intercontinental ballistic missile. Heck, last September 11th the U.S. was completely powerless against four slow-moving (compared to missiles) passenger jets.

[Doctor Stochastic]

None of the SDI stuff will intercept a sea-launched SCUD. (The Coast Guard may sink the ship before launch though.) There simply isn't reaction time. A trans-polar launch may take 15 to 20 minutes to impact but a sea launch could strike in much less time.

This doesn't mean I'm opposed to SDI, just that one has to be realistic.

[Alberta's Child]

The result is that we are beginning to go backward instead of forward in the deployment of a system that works.

Mr. Weyrich should also note that the United States is moving forward with its missile defense system regardless of the posturing that these mediocrities in the U.S. Senate are doing.

[Zeroisanumber]

How is an SDI system going to stop a missle launched from a surface ship? Or even a criuse missle? Hell, we're luckey if the SDI missles that we have can get out of their f*cking launchers, much less hit anything.

[Mr. Jeeves]

I don't know what it will take to turn Congress around.

Losing a city. Which will immediately become "Bush's fault".