Comments

Dude, that was the published version. Party affiliation is the basic starting point of an interview with a CONGRESSMAN - it isn't a hang up, but a protocol. This article is like introducing the woman next to you by name but failing to inform that she is also your wife. If this man were a lay person or "just" a scientist, political affiliation would be irrelevant as you state. Since he is a POLITICIAN, his party affiliation can have huge relevance. Everybody doesn't blindly follow the party line, so there may not be as much of a travesty being committed here as you think. Point was the missile tests WERE successful - after all the libs and the lib scientists said it was impossible. THEY SAID IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE! Why that side of congress has any credibility at all, I dunno. While these successful tests were conducted under controlled conditions, a ballistic missile interceptor still hit and destroyed another ballistic missile from hundreds of miles away. Seems like we have mastered the basics. What do you base your opinion on that these systems would likely fail in the real world? Do you think it is impossible for the technology to improve, keeping in mind the constant acceleration of technological capabilities? Your opinion is to purposefully leave the country vulnerable to ballistic missiles? As my grandad used to say, it is always better to have a gun and not need it than need a gun and not have it. Jus a basic truth in life. Second point is that Mutally Assurred Destruction (MAD) is a meaningless doctrine when talking about militant Muslims bent on our and their own destruction (martyrdome). Ciao.

You have a political figure and you don't state his party affiliation? This is what you call journalism at PopSci? This article was so lame...why didn't you ask his position on anthropogenic global warming? That would have been interesting - or was that topic made off limits by the congressman? Does this Nerd in Chief ever read the news? He states missle defense systems won't work...has he not read that test after test has been successfully completed? While we couldn't hope to counter a full scale Russian or Chinese missle attack, it seems to me we could stop a rogue launch from one of these nations (which have came very close to happening in the past), or prevent an attack from a country such as Iran and I think stopping just one missle will be worth the price of the program (at least to the thousands to millions who are spared incineration). But that goes to the problem of politics and why this article sucks...liberals don't think there is really any threat out there that can't be fixed with nice talk. Why didn't Gregory Mone have the balls to follow up on the Nerd in Chief's answer to a question that the government is not allowing certain topics to be studied? What topics? Who can't publish their results? Whose meetings have been banned. Now that would be a story! This guy is built up to be Congresses Man of Science and this article's author and the man himselft doesn't say much of anything. What a waste of type and paper. A lousy article, even the NY Times could have done better. Please do make an effort next time. I expect more from your magazine. John Min Los Angeles