Relinquishing fundamental freedoms is a slippery slope.
Analysts react to the president's speech.
Bush's short speech on Tuesday afternoon gave little new insight into what a plan might look like, with scant specifics regarding the range and capability of the weapons involved, and no estimate of cost or who would end up paying for the system. In Tuesday's speech, Bush tried to straddle the line between members of his own party at home who want the treaty done away with, and American allies abroad who want the treaty to remain intact. The pursuit of a missile defense will have profound consequences on international relations and translate into billions of dollars in defense contracts. He says he plans to reduce our arsenal of nuclear warheads from about 7,000 to a range of 1,500-2,000. Over the past four months, Russian President Vladimir Putin has made clear that he is unhappy with the Bush plans to violate the ABM treaty.