Where would you put those new missiles that "fiscally prudent" House Republicans are eager to dump new billions on?

According to the Congressional Budget Office (if I'm reading this right -- no guarantees!) we could rig up 20 interceptor missiles on the East Coast for a measly $3.6 billion. At that rock-bottom price, no wonder spending-slashing House GOP-ers are all for it.

by Ken

It's another "Loop" contest, and we always try to keep track of those -- if only in the (probably vain) hope that a DWT will enter and win the coveted prize of an "In the Loop" T-shirt and feel ethically obliged to share it with the people who told him/her about the contest in the first place. (I guess you can't easily "share" a T-shirt, so perhaps we're talking about forking said T-shirt over as a sort of finder's fee.)

First, you have to admit it -- you lose sleep over the possibility of nuclear-equipped missiles launched by North Korea or Iran reaching the East Coast of the U.S. Yes, we're tallking about the East Coast, for the simple reason that the West Coast already has its missile defenses in place, in two sites: a site in Alaska (with 27 missiles) and one in California (with three). This presumably explains why those dastardly North Koreans, once they beef up their missile technology a bit, would be aiming their missiles at the East rather than the West Coast.

As Al Kamen points out, in announcing the new contest in today's Washington Post "In the Loop" column,

the Iranians and North Koreans don't have long-range missiles (yet), and the Iranians -- best we can tell -- don't have any nukes.

And sure, the general in charge of the North American Aerospace Defense Command has said "today's threats do not require an East Coast" site and the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said last week that we don't need one.

But what do they know?

Which I guess is why those hard-headed masters of reality the House Republicans are getting to work on the issue.

The House is scheduled this week to take up a bill that would require the Pentagon to start work on a missile defense system to protect the East Coast from Iranian or North Korean long-range nuclear missiles.

The bill would require the Defense Department to conduct an environmental-impact statement by the end of next year with an operational site in place "not later than the end of 2015."

Seems a bit speedy, but there's a quick $100 million in the bill for surveys and planning and such.

And $100M isn't much when you consider that the missile-interceptor program has a "price tag about $24 billion so far" -- and if you don't consider that so far it "doesn’t have a great track record knocking down missiles in tests."

The Congressional Budget Office on Tuesday estimated that the cost for 20 interceptors would be only $3.6 billion from 2013 to 2017 -- missiles, site prep and facilities included. That's a bargain!

At that price it sounds like something we can't afford not to do. (No, I don't know whether the missiles come in an assortment of designer colors. But at these bargain-basement prices, can we afford to be picky?)

WHICH BRINGS US TO THE LOOP CONTEST:
WHERE SHOULD WE PUT THE INTERCEPTORS?

After all, Alaska deployment is easy. Our coast is a bit more congested.

Loop Fans can help keep America safe!

Yes, it's the Loop "Pick the Site" contest. Where should the missiles go?

Maybe we could circle Manhattan with interceptors to protect the job creators on Wall Street? Or group them at the Baseball Hall of Fame in central New York to protect the national pastime? Hide them in the Epcot theme park in Orlando? Put a few in Chincoteague to protect the wild ponies?

Which just leaves the matter of the contest nitty-gritty:

You can leave your entry as a comment on our blog (washingtonpost.com/intheloop) -- you may want to double-check that there’s an active e-mail address associated with your washingtonpost.com log-in.

You can also e-mail us at intheloop@washpost.com. (Please make sure you include a phone number -- home or cell -- so we can contact you.)

The top five winners will receive a coveted In the Loop T-shirt and the usual bragging rights when we announce winners. (If you need to enter "on background," that's fine.)

Don't delay. Contest deadline is May 25.

ONE WORD OF CAUTION, IN CASE YOU'RE
ALREADY EXCITED ABOUT THOSE MISSILES

Al notes: "House Republicans may have the votes to pass the bill, though the Democratic Senate will probably neuter it, as it did last year." It's one thing to be fiscally prudent. After all, who's more fiscally prudent than the House Republicans? But to turn a deaf ear to vital matters of national defense? Maybe we need to be checking those traitorous House Dems' bith certificates?

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