The way I see it, Rumsfeld and Cheney can capitalize on this.

Before this event, not too many people took the threat of 'rogue states' all that seriously.

I'd say now that's changed.

If I were Rumsfeld (or Cheney), I would argue in this fashion before Congress and the American people.

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'Everyone in the world saw this. You saw it. This was about as professional a job as could have been executed. It's the most sophisticated attack launched against America...*ever*! With a little more money, a little more talent, well, I ask you: What *wouldn't* these people be capable of? Do you think they'll stop here, with attacks against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon? Now that they've been successful? Let's not forget that this was not the first attempt against the World Trade Center.

'This most recent attack, which in some ways parallels, even rivals, the attack on Pearl Harbor, marks a major leap in capability from the previous attacks. Where will the next leap take them?

'It should by now be clear that rogue states do most certainly exist, and even more certainly pose a real and proven threat against the American people. This time, incredible as it may sound, we may have been lucky. Next time, they may have a nuclear warhead, or several warheads. The technology came of age decades ago, so it's only a matter of time.

'Will we wait until Afghanistan or Libya or Iraq hurls a couple of nuclear missiles at us? This time destroying not just a couple of buildings and thousands of innocent civilians, but a couple of cities and hundreds of thousands - maybe millions - of innocent civilians?

'Or will you act now on my proposal to pursue laying the groundwork for the first layer of what will one day be our many-layered defense against ballistic missiles? How many more American lives must be lost before America has the guts to defend herself?'

----

Some speech like that.

And I wrote that while *not* being a fan of NMD. Imagine what an ardent supporter could do.

Now I had read that Rummy was on the ropes recently, fighting for his budget and his NMD. Will he really need to fight so hard now to allocate money for American defense? I tend to doubt this.