Kerry on Missile Defense at Truman Library

June 4, 2004

Dear Members, Supporters and Friends,

To understand the challenge that Missile Defense faces, one needs to look no further than presidential candidate Senator John Kerry’s statement at the Truman Library in Missouri on June 3, 2004.

“Yes, we must invest in missile defense. But not at the cost of other pressing priorities. We cannot afford to spend billions to deploy an unproven missile defense system. Not only is it not ready, but it’s the wrong priority for a war on terror where the enemy strikes with a bomb in the back of a truck, or a vial of anthrax in a briefcase.”

It is ironic that the 33rd president of the United States, Harry Truman, was the leader recognizing the long-term threat communism represented to the western world. By understanding this threat, President Truman acted early by establishing NATO, confronting the Soviet Union with the Berlin airlift, reconstructing Europe through the Marshall Plan, and confronting communism on the Korean Peninsula.

In his time, President Truman had the foresight and courage to withstand the dangers facing the United States and the conviction to support the programs that more than forty years later would help win the Cold War. Contrast the wisdom and leadership of former President Harry S Truman with that of candidate Senator John Kerry who seems to know the exact nature of the threat that will face America in the years to come.

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