[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 89 (Wednesday, July 12, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H5848]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     AMERICA MUST PERSEVERE IN DEVELOPING A MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM

  (Mr. WICKER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. WICKER. Mr. Speaker, perseverance is a good thing, especially 
when it comes to national security. When our children fall off their 
bikes, we teach them to try again. When the Wright Brothers moved to 
Kittyhawk with a dream of flying, it took them 3 years of effort before 
their first flight. When President Kennedy set the goal of putting a 
man on the moon, it took us 8 years before Neil Armstrong took one 
giant leap for mankind.
  We must now have the same perseverance toward developing a missile 
defense system. We have had three tests, the most recent of which was a 
disappointment, but the need to defend ourselves has not disappeared. 
Iran and North Korea are not going to stop developing nuclear weapons, 
and we should not stop developing a defense for a missile attack.
  With determination and American ingenuity, we can develop a national 
missile defense system. I urge the President not to tie the hands of 
future administrations. We must persevere because the safety of 
Americans is at stake.

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