This is change I can believe in. Missile defense is only "defense" in the Orwellian opposite sense. The intention is really offensive--to be able to strike first, without fear of reprisal. If you look at who backs it the most--neocons--then it makes sense.
Still, it would be great if we could somehow make nuclear missiles obsolete. My preferred method would be to invite other nations into the process. I don't see how it could work with places like Iran, but it seems like most countries that have nukes (Russia, us, India, Pakistan) find themselves in balance of terror situations where neither side really reaps an advantage by having nukes. This is sort of a half-baked idea, but if you really wanted to make nuclear weapons passe, I think you'd have to do it in such a way. Or, you know, through incremental disarmament. Luckily, we now have a president who thinks through these issues--which might not get front-page headlines but where so much is at stake.
