Even in an age of shrinking budgets, the Republican-loaded Congress has gotten paranoid. Proposing about $7 billion more than the Clinton administration requested, Republicans have decided some new military toys are in order. Contained within the $265 billion military budget (S. 1026) is more than $3.6 billion in missile defenses.

Republican leaders claim that these expenditures are needed to protect Americans from attacks by “rogue nations” like Iraq and North Korea.

They emphasize the need for developing a multi-site missile defense system designed to protect American territory from nuclear, chemical, and biological strikes.

However, they are ignoring that the proposal is a costly and reckless departure from the 1972 ABM treaty which restricted the U.S. and the Soviet Union to one missile defense site apiece.

Unfounded paranoia may seriously jeopardize relations with the East.

Furthermore, Congress is on the verge of cutting many social programs. Criticized as not cost effective, are defense systems really any better? Especially when their need isn’t proven?

Republicans need to show some restraint; after all, sometimes there is such a thing as being too defensive.