Rumsfeld Defends U.S. Missile Shield as Triumph

[Rose Siding]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Wednesday called a fledgling U.S. ballistic missile defense system in Alaska a triumph for the Bush administration "over pessimism and skepticism."
Rumsfeld's remarks, prepared for delivery to a space and missile defense conference in Huntsville, Alabama, came after President Bush this week attacked those who want to cut and slow the costly program, including Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

"Some folks still argue that missile defense can't work, and that even if it did work, it is not a priority -- or that missile defense is potentially destabilizing," the secretary said.

"You have helped to prove the critics wrong," he said in the remarks prepared for an annual conference of military, government and contracting officials at Army missile defense headquarters in Huntsville.

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=6009523&src=rss/ElectionCoverage§ion=news

[madrchsod]

1. rummy -it doesn`t work

it never will....

[Ganja Ninja]

2. It work$$$ for Raytheon. n/t

[papau]

20. 10 billion so far-1 trillion projected over next 15 years-all not budgeted

for in any of the Bush budgets (I should say "almost all not budgeted for").

:-)

[daleo]

3. My house's roof is comet and meteorite proof

A simple layer of tinfoil was all it required. It was a triumph of my administration. My wife thought it couldn't be done, but I have proved the critics wrong.

[poliguru]

4. Glad we're jacking up our debt with this

It has NEVER WORKED (the successful test where they preselected the coordinates of the missle doesn't count - I don't think any country is going to call us with coordinates, do you?) and is a huge waste of money. Ridiculous.

[bearfan454]

17. They had a homing device on the target for the test the 1 time it worked.

It missed the target more than once WITH a homing device too. This is nothing but fraud - just like Halliburton contracts. Funny, isnt it that a lot of scientists that said it would not work are dead now ?

[jpak]

5. The missile deployed in Alaska is useless

The X-band radars needed to track incoming RV's have not been deployed.

This is a fucking FRAUD.

[hatrack]

6. I'm sorry, did I miss something?

For example, was I taking out the garbage or on vacation when a rogue state attacked us with missiles which were promptly and efficiently shot down by our triumphant missile defense system?

Were there any news stories about this particular event?

[stevedeshazer]

7. triumph for the Bush administration "over pessimism and skepticism."

Yeah, right. :eyes:

[Jacobin]

8. Yeah, a false sense of security is great for a country to have

Especially as it attempts to conquer and subjugate the world.

:-)

[NoMoreMrNiceGuy]

9. Very sore subject with me

If we would have taken that money and that science and used it wisely I guarantee you that we could be a lot less dependant on foreign oil right now. People can do amazing things when they put their minds to it. The examples I like to use are flight and computers. Look at what we were about to do in flight...1903 Wright brothers...1969 the moon!!! That is mind boggling,in only 66 years to make that kind of jump...amazing!! Truely,truely mind boggling. Look at what we have accomplished in the field of computers again mind boggling advancement. Yet,in the field of transportation on the ground I find it a little more than suspicious that we are still using the internal combustion engine. Why no advancement in that field???? HMMMM...could it be the power brokers won't allow it????

[Jacobin]

12. Welcome to DU NiceGuy

I agree with you one thousand percent.

A "Manhattan Project" for energy would be a mindboggling and amazing venture. american science is phenomenally inventive and amazingly brilliant. there is no telling what they could do with a small fraction of that money.

:hi:

[Dudley_DUright]

15. "american science is phenomenally inventive and amazingly brilliant"

Stop, you're making me blush.

[bearfan454]

18. That would fuck up the current money flow.

Fuck humanity. Grab that cash with both hands a make a stash.

[Old and In the Way]

19. The irony.

When we finally become 100% secure from every possible enemy, this won't be a country left worth defending. Just another way of paying off the war profiteers that infest our government.

I hope Kerry starts banging on that issue. Real security for America's future means investing in new energy technologies that will create jobs and avoid shedding American blood for a dwindling resource.

[Sandpiper]

10. This is a triumph of fraud over fact

Missile Defense is a Reagan fantasy and nothing more than a 53 billion dollar subsidy to the MIC.

[amber dog democrat]

21. And it would take a cold war era dinosuar like him to support it.

I agree, Sandpiper. Just another rip off / boondogle.

[Chef]

11. Rip Off

This foolishness is the reason I fear * has a chance at election. Why the people dont rise up against this fraud is beyond me.

[htuttle]

13. Missile defense does exactly what it's supposed to do

...which is to guarantee lucrative defense contracts for companies like Boeing, Lockheed and Raytheon far into the future.

In that sense, it's been a rousing success!

[The_Casual_Observer]

14. "and that even if it did work"

He never says that it works. It would be too bold of a claim to make. It could never work, it IS destabilizing and a very dangerous fraud. It is astounding that fools like this are running the government. Normally, in the private sector, idiots are eventually outed and fired for making stupid decisions, in the US government they are praised and 50% of the population support what they do.

[indepat]

16. A triumph for no one but the contractors in the military-industrial

complex Ike warned us about.

[daleo]

22. The French president said all this about the Maginot Line

It was a triumph of engineering and testing proved that it worked, too. Right up until 1940, when the first full scale test failed.

Frankly, it seemed to make a lot more sense, too.