[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 43 (Thursday, March 18, 1999)]
[House]
[Page H1410]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              U.S. VULNERABLE TO BALLISTIC MISSILE ATTACK

  (Mr. SCHAFFER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, there is a common saying in conservative 
circles about how people tend to start out in life as a liberal, and 
end up conservative having lived for a while. It is called being mugged 
by reality.
  Well, it appears America has finally been mugged by reality on the 
issue of missile defense. Just last summer the Clinton administration 
insisted over and over again that a national missile defense system was 
not needed. We were assured that rogue nations were many years away 
from developing a ballistic missile threat that could reach our shores. 
Woops!
  In a stunning turnaround, the White House has suddenly adopted the 
Republican view that the United States is indeed vulnerable to 
ballistic missile attack. Rogue nations such as Iran, Iraq, North 
Korea, and Communist China have missile capabilities which far exceed 
the administration's earlier estimates.
  Upon pulling its head up out of the sand, the administration has now 
been mugged by reality. The only question now remains, did it happen 
soon enough?

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