Michigan Senator Carl Levin -- the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, who is set to become chair following Senator Jim Jeffords' defection from the Republican Party last Thursday -- said on CNN that while Bush's proposed system is not dead, now is an opportunity for a new look at its viability.

"The issue with missile defense is whether or not we are more or less secure with the unilateral deployment, if that is what it comes to, in violation of a treaty which could lead to a very negative and dangerous response on the part of Russia, for instance, or China, and against the advice of some of our closest allies," Levin said.

"This administration has simply not looked at problems which it creates; they've only looked at the fact that there is a threat. There are much greater threats to which we are not addressing resources," he added.

Arguing the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty signed with the former Soviet Union is out of date, the Bush administration has floated a controversial plan to develop a sophisticated and costly system to knock out ballistic missiles liable to be fired by so-called "rogue states" such as North Korea and Iraq.

Deployment of the largely unproven 60 billion-dollar national missile shield was a decision former president Bill Clinton opted to pass on to his successor, and the new president has sent a team of top-level officials to canvass the globe to drum up support.

South Dakota's Tom Daschle, who is likely to become the US Senate majority leader when control of the chamber passes to the Democrats sometime around June 5, said Bush's desire to deploy the system was premature as far as his party was concerned.

"If you're asking should we violate the ABM Treaty; if you're asking should we alienate every ally in Russia and China besides; if you're asking should we commit to something, deploy something that still hasn't been shown to work, I'd say no," Daschle said.

"The president has said he wants to deploy, and I think that is a premature decision and we certainly wouldn't be prepared to do that."

The US missile defense system, which has elicited concern from even the closest of US allies, figures prominently on the agenda at a meeting of NATO foreign ministers this week in Budapest.

NATO allies, who believe the ABM treaty is a Cold War legacy that remains a linchpin of global security, also doubt whether the rogue-state threat is all that Washington makes it out to be.

Their reaction of late has been muted, however, not least out of appreciation for Bush's pledge to consult all of the United States' allies on what is still a vague plan.

Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only