"Common sense suggests we need limited defenses," he said.

"We want to deploy a limited defense as soon as possible to deal with new threats," a senior administration official said.

That's because an effective limited defense can work only against a minimal offense.

In short, he seemed to make a limited defense of the very welfare state France is so determined to safeguard.

If based at sea or on aircraft, such approaches could provided limited but effective defenses.

With the test failure, however, the Pentagon's goal to deploy a limited defense by 2005 is likely to slip.

Development was discontinued later in favor of a limited ground-based defense.

And we will have made some kind of a deal now, and, great, it's a limited defense.

The administration had thought that it could balance politics, diplomacy and security by simply exploring the idea of a limited defense.

Senator Nunn's proposal for a limited defense, meanwhile, deserves attention.