Let's remember a couple of things. First, worldwide disarmament is a lovely idea, provided you get the whole world to go along with it. I don't know how to do that, but I would be interested in hearing a credible plan. Anybody got one? [Emphasis on "credible," please.]

Jackson Browne is a good songwriter, but not much of a policy maker. The song quoted above is a lot like "Blowin' In The Wind" -- it asks a lot of questions, but doesn't provide much of an action plan.

Also, please remember that the existing ABM treaty explicitly prohibits research and development of defensive systems such as those envisioned by Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II (all four Presidents voiced support for continued R & D on missile defense, to varying degrees). If it only prohibited deployment, we could just decide to cross the deployment bridge when we had the systems perfected. Bush says, with some justification, that existing arms control agreements are based on outdated strategic thinking. He wants to modernize our thinking on this so that we don't continue to "fight the last war," as military strategists are prone to do.

Bush may not be the most effective messenger, but there is some value in what he is saying, if you can cut through the rhetoric on both sides of this issue. Unfortunately, the battle lines were drawn on "Star Wars" as soon as Reagan mentioned it in the mid-1980's. All the shouting and sloganeering has tended to inhibit reasoned consideration of this, but the world will not stand still, and we will continue to avoid rational discussion of our options at our own peril.