The world starts to see missile defense as Bush sees it. The Senate must play catch-up

Just a year ago, Europe teetered on the brink of incontinence as President George W. Bush stated he would end the Cold War-era Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty with Moscow and deploy a national missile defense system.

By invoking the treaty’s provisions for the US to withdraw, and by building a defense against incoming ballistic missiles, the Europeans warned, the US would lead the world into another nuclear arms race.

Now, French, German and other leaders are saying that maybe Bush’s action wasn’t such a bad thing. Even at home, House Democrat Leader Dick Gephardt is starting to back off his earlier apocalyptic warnings to save the treaty.

The Senate has yet to get the message. Led by Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, the president’s opposition is trying, in effect, to legislate the ABM Treaty back into existence by killing missile defense deployment through targeted budget cuts. Maybe soon, Levin and his colleagues can catch up with France, the Eurosocialists, and Putin.

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