Star Wars — 2008

Let's not wet ourselves with excitement over the next coming of a missile defense program — even if the pending missile meeting with a doomed satellite goes as the Pentagon plans.

If this is a success — and the military admits that's far from a given — consider still the following items: There's only a 10-minute window that the Navy has to shoot the satellite on the first go-round, and inclement weather might shut the window entirely. The planners have had days to study and orchestrate this. And top brass continue to downplay the chance of success.

So now that you're informed, how excited are you for that Star Wars plan? Do you want to spend billions of dollars on a system that might not work even under perfect and non-apocalyptic conditions? Want to entrust the off-the-cuff downing of nuclear missiles to a system that might not even shoot down a satellite with many days of planning? (Or, want to give more welfare to huge weapons and aerospace companies at the expense of taxpayers?)

Even if the Pentagon does shoot down the satellite on the first try, does any of this instill confidence in the old Regan-era plan?

Thought not.