QandO

February 11, 2004

Reality Check ... Kerry’s Record on Defense
Posted by McQ

The man who tells us he’s better qualified than Bush to be President because of his military background has a record concerning defense which is pitiable by any standard, especially those who recognize the threat we face in the world today. Perhaps the best way to illustrate is to let his record speak for itself. It’s a long record, and it is worth repeating ...

Running For Congress In 1972, Kerry Promised To Cut Defense Spending. “On what he’ll do if he’s elected to Congress, Kerry said he would ‘bring a different kind of message to the president.’ He said he would vote against military appropriations.” (“Candidate’s For Congress Capture Campus In Andover,” Lawrence [MA] Eagle-Tribune, 4/21/72)

IOW, he began politically opposed to defense and military spending, and, to his credit he’s remained pretty consistent .... until now, of course. Then there’s the article from earlier this year which points out:

Running For Senate In 1984, Kerry promised massive defense cuts. “Kerry in 1984 said he would have voted to cancel … the B-1 bomber, B-2 stealth bomber, AH-64 Apache helicopter, Patriot missile, the F-15, F-14A and F-14D jets, the AV-8B Harrier jet, the Aegis air-defense cruiser, and the Trident missile system. He also advocated reductions in many other systems, such as the M1 Abrams tank, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Tomahawk cruise missile, and the F-16 jet.” (from an original article, "Taking One Prize, Then a Bigger One, Brian C. Mooney, Boston Globe, 6/19/93)

Kerry defends himself by saying:

"Unfortunately, there are people who have never met a weapons system they didn't like. I have," he said. "If the worst thing they can do is pull out a couple of votes ... let's have at it."

The problem for Mr. Kerry is that he would have voted against ALL the systems which are the basis of our military might today. They might not exist today if JF’nK had had his way in ‘84.

The litany continues:

In 1991, Voted To Cut Defense Spending By 2%. Only 21 other Senators voted with Kerry, and the defense cut was defeated. (S. Con. Res. 29, CQ Vote #49: Motion Rejected 22-73: R 1-39; D 21-34, 4/25/91, Kerry Voted Yea)

In 1991, Voted To Slash Over $3 Billion From Defense, Shift Money To Social Programs. Only 27 Senators joined Kerry in voting for the defense cut. (H.R. 2707, CQ Vote #182: Motion Rejected 28-69: R 3-39; D 25-30, 9/10/91, Kerry Voted Yea)

In 1992, Voted To Cut $6 Billion From Defense. Republicans and Democrats successfully blocked the attempt to cut defense spending. (S. Con. Res. 106, CQ Vote #73: Motion Agreed To 53-40: R 38-1; D 15-39, 4/9/92, Kerry Voted Nay)

And, of course, he’s always been a friend of those in the military:

In 1993, Voted Against Increased Defense Spending For Military Pay Raise. Kerry voted to kill an increase in military pay over five years. (S. Con. Res. 18, CQ Vote #73: Motion Agreed To 55-42: R 2-39; D 53-3, 3/24/93, Kerry Voted Yea)

In fact, in 1993 he actually introduced a plan to cut numerous defense programs, including:

-- Cut the number of Navy submarines and their crews;

--Reduce the number of Light Infantry units in the Army down to one;

--Reduce Tactical Fighter Wings in the Air Force;

--Terminate the Navy’s coastal mine-hunting ship program;

--Force the retirement of no less than 60,000 members of the Armed Forces in one year. (S.1163, Introduced 6/24/93)

In 1995, Kerry voted to freeze defense spending for 7 years, slashing over $34 billion from defense. Only 27 other Senators voted with Kerry.

In 1996, Kerry introduced a bill to slash defense department funding by $6.5 billion. Kerry’s bill had no co-sponsors and never came to a floor vote. (S. 1580, Introduced 2/29/96)

Also found in 1996 is Kerry’s vote on the Harkin’s amendment to the Fiscal 1996 Budget Resolution – Defense Freeze. “Harkin, D-Iowa, amendment to freeze defense spending for the next seven years and transfer the $34.8 billion in savings to education and job training.” (S. Con. Res. 13, CQ Vote #181: Rejected 28-71: R 2-51; D 26-20, 5/24/95, Kerry Voted Yea)

There is no question, at least in my mind, that Kerry’s stance on defense and national security, the one which he is projecting today, has no basis in fact. Its smoke and mirrors. Its more of the propensity to say whatever is necessary to win an election before reverting to form.

And what is “form” for Kerry concerning defense?

Just review his record. I think Bush's campaign mangager, Ken Mellman, summed it up rather nicely:

``Howard Dean has said that America's military will not always be the world's strongest,'' Mehlman said. ``Senator Kerry's voting record would make Governor Dean's vision a reality.''

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