24 July 2001 - missile defense 2

The National Missile Defense system is (or is hoped to be) a $60,000,000,000 program to defend (or hope to defend) the United States against small-scale missile attacks from rogue nations (or nations that are hoped to be rogue). Cynical critics have noted that no rogue nation is able to launch missiles across the ocean to the distant United States. But American leaders are wise and far-sighted. Zhirinovsky—I mean, Bush is looking ahead to the time when his nationalist policies isolate the country, and the U.S. comes under attack from Canada and Mexico.