[Badger1]

I watched a video at work today about one of the Tactical High Energy Laser (THEL) tests. The laser acquired and shot down two incoming rocket propelled artillery shells (155 mm) from an unknown vector at an unknown time. This is just the first generation of these types of weapons, and other technology is in the pipeline as well.

Missile defense is coming and it will work. Pay no head to what the naysayers in the media (who know nothing about engineering) say.

[Cobra64]

It also fulfills a presidential campaign promise Mr. Bush made in May 2000.

Even if you disagree with W, (which I seldom do) he keeps his flippin' promises!

[Cobra64]

American missile-defense plans have been criticized by Russia and China, most recently at a meeting earlier this month between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin.

And W is supposed to care?

W's playing hardball, just as Ronnie did. He's scaring the sh!t out of the agressors (Axis of Evil) and keeping the rest of the boarder-line "friends" in line.

W is definitely following the right course of Ronnie's military 'strategery'.

Unfortunately, Reagan had to ran up deficits as a result of Jimmah Carter's running down the military. W is in the same boat due to Bubbah's same mentality in running down our military, thus leading to military weakness and real risk of aggressor nations seeking to overthrow the country.

[ConservativeLawyer]

begin deploying by 2004

This is great news. And all the naysayers said we don't have the technology and it would take decades before we could implement it.

Makes you wonder if the same is true of all those who say it would take decades before we could drill for oil in ANWR.

[firewalk]

Bttt

[OldFriend]

And all those who continue to demand an explanation as to why we were unprepared for Pearl Harbor, and of course, the attack on 9/11 will be shrieking that the money ought to be spent on 'programs for the poor'.

Thank g-d we have a president who will do the right thing to protect this country despite the ignorant america haters of every stripe here and abroad.

[hchutch]

FYI.

This is very good news, IMO. Ten interceptors. We've got to get the airborne laser up and running, and get some other systems as soon as possible.

[RightWhale]

Let the debates about Trent Lott continue elswhere. We have an ABM system to install with radars all over the globe. Who wants in on the system? England, Russia, any body with something worth defending?

[PoorMuttly]

Can Muttly have 10 ground-based interceptor missiles...at Fort Muttly? I promise to be good.

...then can he have an updated version of the Navy's Standard Missile-3? I promise...

[modern_orthodox]

i wonder if any country that actually has - or will soon have - ballistic nukes would fire one at the US anyway, knowing full well what the response would be. If we're that worried about a nuclear explosion in the US, we should be using the money we spend annually on SDI to defend our borders better.

[america-rules]

Remember in the last 80's the M1 Tank wouldn't work, was a dud etc..

The kill ratio in the Gulf war with this tank was something like 50-1. The tank did ride hundreds of miles in the desert without too many problems !

Missle defense is about the same right now !