The Soviet Union had humiliated the United States by being the first to orbit a satellite in 1957 and the first to orbit a man four years later. But JFK was determined ultimately to prevail in the space race. The triumph of American space technology in the '60s, culminating in the Apollo 11 moon landing, was, of course, an overture to the overall victory of the American system in the '80s. And so we won the three world wars of the last century-First, Second, and Cold. But now America faces new threats, especially to its fleet of satellites, which are central to our far-flung communications system, civilian as well as military.
History proves that national power comes from technological power.
And so Democrats, mindful of their duty to the country, should look past Daschle and back to Wilson, Roosevelt and Kennedy, leaders who vindicated a confident vision of American greatness.