BILLS passed by the House and Senate to concoct a defense against single intercontinental ballistic missiles are appealing. That's why the White House approved the Senate version, which gives lip service to arms control agreements with Russia. It's in keeping with the Clinton administration's strategy of adopting Republican ideas rather than fighting them.

The vague legislation, lacking a price tag or technology certain to work, was made likely by North Korea's test of a three-stage rocket over Japan. It was made certain by a bipartisan commission's secret report to Congress that North Korea and Iran are closer to having the capability of hitting the continental United States than was thought.

The defense would rest on ground-based missiles aimed at an incoming missile or two from North Korea, Iran or even China.This would not be the space-launched shield of nuclear explosions in the "star wars" ideas of the Reagan administration.

And no one pretends it could impede a rain of the 7,000 nuclear warheads that Russia has. Nor could it stop a car bomb driven up to a U.S. facility, the low-tech menace that has done the most damage to U.S. security in recent years.

The trouble with the vague legislation is that it seems to violate the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972, which stabilized the weapons race with the Soviet Union. Russia, though weakened, remains the only country capable of knocking out the United States, so moving forward in arms control with Moscow is more important to national security than spending billions to mount a defense that might not work against a smaller danger. That's the importance of the amendment proclaiming that the Senate bill is not intended to interrupt arms control negotiations with Russia.

To proceed with a $10 billion development and then deploy it would require future decisions. What has passed is a feel-good measure that ignores the greatest threat to U.S. security. Keeping the Russian war machine stable, friendly, trusting and secure remains the highest priority for U.S. national security.