Word: mx
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Dukakis' Joe Isuzu crack probably pulled in more kudos than his defense of government-supported housing programs. Bush's comment that Dukakis' reply was "about as clear as Boston Harbor" probably garnered him more votes than his plug for the MX Missile. It's no wonder, really. Everyone loves someone who can make him laugh. And since Dukakis has long been criticized for his lack of passion, he could only stand to gain from demonstrating an ability to quip and snicker...
With George Bush and Michael Dukakis each trying to establish his toughness, the question of how to cope with the other superpower has too often been reduced to its military dimension. Last week they were back at it, carping over the relative merits of the Stealth bomber and the MX. Bush reiterated his charge that Dukakis was soft on defense. In response, Dukakis doffed a helmet and rode in an M1 tank. In a speech in Chicago, Dukakis conveyed a conservative caution about Gorbachev's reforms and said the U.S. should be prepared to use economic incentives to induce less...
Moreover, Dukakis can seize the initiative on the defense issue by noting the hypocrisy in Bush's positions. Although Bush is fond of using the Midgetman and MX missles in his speeches, it would be somewhat awkward for him to explain why "his" Administration dumped the Midgetman in Congress as "too expensive," or why it scrapped Carter's plans to deploy the MX in the Southwest without offering an alternative, giving it a quiet death...
...issue of a new intercontinental ballistic missile is more complex. The Reagan Administration wants to deploy the ten-warhead MX on railroad cars -- a scheme that might be even more vulnerable to surprise attack than our current system of triple-warhead Minuteman ICBMs in underground silos. Many in Congress (along with Schlesinger and myself) favor the single-warhead Midgetman deployed on mobile launchers, but the very high cost of such a system cannot be ignored. Another option consistent with Dukakis' position would be the deployment of Minuteman in multiple protective shelters (the so- called shell game). The real test...
...much of the Soviet Union's military incentive for compromise and thus destroy much of America's leverage in negotiations. In recent months, as you have moved toward the political center, you have acknowledged the continued necessity for nuclear deterrence and have indicated that, despite your opposition to the MX and Midgetman, you are not necessarily against a new ICBM in principle. Yet you will find that any new missile program is impossible unless you back off from your commitment to a missile test-flight ban. We cannot have a new missile system unless we test...