James R. Schlesinger quotes
Americans historically have embraced crusades - such as World War II - as well as glorious little wars. The difficulty is that the most likely conflicts of the future fall between crusades and such brief encounters as Grenada or Mayagüez.
The notion of a defense that will protect American cities is one that will not be achieved, but it is that goal that supplies the political magic, as it were, in the president's vision.