CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: With a story out now of the Army putting Patriot missile batteries on alert in Germany, President Clinton giving a speech today on the status of the missile defense strategy in this country. David Ensor has more on what the president is going to talking about today at Georgetown University -- David.</s>DAVID ENSOR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, this could be one of the more momentous strategic and even political decisions the president has made. He is, we are told by administration officials, going to announce that he has decided not to let contracts to start work on a national missile defense. That he feels, for whatever reasons we will hear in the speech exactly what reasons, that this is not time to begin work on what would be the fist phase of a national missile defense, a radar system on the Aleutian Island, the Alaskan island of Shemya. So this is a very key decision with a lot of strategic and political implications. It will, first of all, reassure U.S. allies and the Russians, who had been very strongly opposed to moving ahead with this quickly. It may also become a campaign issue since Governor Bush has said that he favors moving as quickly as possible towards a national missile defense system -- Carol.</s>LIN: All right. David, any sense of the timing of this decision?</s>ENSOR: Well, we gather that the president will be speaking at Georgetown University in a little over two hours' time. I gather the network will be carry it live. And there he will make his announcement. We understand that the decision was made just yesterday.</s>LIN: All right, perhaps we will find out why when the president does speak live. Thank you very much David Ensor.
Clinton to Leave National Missile Defense Decision to Successor