President Bush warned Tuesday that Iran could strike the U.S. with a nuclear missile by 2015 if Democrats in Congress keep slashing funds for a missile defense program.
“Iran could develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the United States and all of Europe before 2015,” Bush told an audience at the National Defense University in Washington. “We need to take it seriously — now.”
Bush, the first president to deploy a working missile defense program, railed against the Democratically-controlled Congress for hampering efforts to expand the program to protect U.S. allies in Europe.
“Congress has cut our request for missile defenses in Europe by $139 million, which could delay deployment for a year or more and undermine our allies who are working with us to deploy such a system on their soil,” he said.
Democratic leaders did not immediately respond to the president’s remarks on missile defense, although they criticized his broader request for $46 billion to continue the war on terror.
“The colossal cost of this war grows every day — in lives lost, dollars spent, and to our reputation around the world,” said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat. “The choice is between a Democratic plan for responsible redeployment of our troops and the president’s plan to spend another trillion dollars for a 10-year war.”
Bush was unapologetic about his request for funding, including millions for missile defense.
“My administration made a commitment to the American people then that we will defend you against all forms of terror, including the terror that could arrive as a result of a missile,” he said. “And we’re keeping that commitment.”
The president’s plans for missile defense also extend to U.S. allies in Asia.
“Our decision to make missile defense operational was validated in July of last year, when North Korea launched a series of destabilizing ballistic missile tests, including testing a system our intelligence community believes is capable of reaching the United States,” he said. “So a test North Korea intended to showcase its power became a demonstration that the pursuit of ballistic missiles will ultimately be fruitless.”
