The president and his party actively have opposed the development of defenses that could protect us against such likely threats as random ballistic-missile attacks. Military history teaches us an important lesson about such attitudes. When great powers refuse to keep up with the latest developments in technology, they fall. The best example of the phenomenon took place centuries ago, when Mongol hordes overran China. The attackers prevailed because they moved more swiftly and nimbly on the battlefields.
Nations endure crises and epidemics, but nothing sears the heart as much as war.
Carry a big stick. And never forget.