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Bush proposes far-reaching missile defense shield.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
WASHINGTON _ Calling for a "clear and clean break" with Cold War nuclear weapons policies, President Bush said Tuesday that he is ready to develop a far-reaching missile defense system and to scrap a treaty banning defenses against ballistic missiles.
He both rejected the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the former Soviet Union and pledged to reduce the U.S. nuclear arsenal to "the lowest possible number of nuclear weapons." Bush's speech at the National Defense University in Washington signaled a dramatic departure from long-established strategies for avoiding nuclear war.
It also put the United States at odds with many of its European allies, as well as potential adversaries in Russia and China. Domestic critics warned that the proposed missile defense system is likely to cost more than $100 billion and may not work.
Bush acknowledged the challenges ahead for his approach, but he urged world leaders to "rethink the unthinkable" in the new realities of the post-Cold War era.
"To maintain peace, to protect our own citizens and our allies and friends, we must seek security based on more than the grim premise that we can destroy those who seek to destroy us," Bush said.
Critics said Bush's approach could lead to a new arms race as Russia, China and other nations seek ways to penetrate U.S. defenses. Others questioned the cost and effectiveness of anti-missile systems.
"We fear the president may be buying a lemon here. There has not been a shred of evidence that this works," said Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.
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