But those technologies will take years to sort out. The point of missile defense, Rumsfeld says, is to deter an adversary from considering launching a missile, or, better yet, from ever threatening an attack. Free of the threat of nuclear blackmail, the United States could maintain its posture of intervening if necessary with conventional forces should an adversary threaten or attack a neighbor. They hate our friends, they hate our values, they hate democracy and freedom and individual liberty. The unpredictability of such leaders is what makes missile defense necessary, Bush argues.
Critics question that reasoning.
If a missile defense system is leaky, why would a U.S. president feel safe in protecting our allies with force against an adversary armed with ICBMs, Daschle asked. The president said old-fashioned nuclear deterrence won't work against fanatical enemies.