Sen Kerry's voting record on defense spending

[Riprorin]

Candidate: Sen. John Kerry (D) Mass

Voting Record

SEN. KERRY'S DEFENSE STRATEGY:
CUT CRITICAL WEAPONS SYSTEMS

In 1996, Introduced 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; http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=104_cong_bills&docid=f:s1580is.txt.pdf)

In 1995, Voted To Freeze Defense Spending For 7 Years, Slashing Over $34 Billion >From Defense.Only 27 other Senators voted with Kerry.

ü 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)

In 1993, Introduced Plan To Cut Numerous Defense Programs, Including:

ü Cut the number of Navy submarines and their crews

ü Reduce the number of light infantry units in the Army down to one

ü Reduce tactical fighter wings in the Air Force

ü Terminate the Navy's coastal mine-hunting ship program

ü Force the retirement of no less than 60,000 members of the Armed Forces in one year. (S.1163, Introduced 6/24/93, http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=103_cong_bills&docid=f:s1163is.txt.pdf)

Has Voted Repeatedly To Cut Defense Spending, Including:

ü 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)

ü 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)

ü 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)

ü 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)

Has Voted Repeatedly To Cut Or Eliminate Funding For B-2 Stealth Bomber.(H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #203: Rejected 29-71: R 2-43; D 27-28, 9/26/89, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 3072, CQ Vote #310: Rejected 29-68: R 3-41; D 26-27, 11/18/89, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2884, CQ Vote #208: Rejected 43-56: R 8-36; D 35-20, 8/2/90, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2884, CQ Vote #209: Rejected 45-53: R 9-34; D 36-19, 8/2/90, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #174: Rejected 42-57: R 7-36; D 35-21, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2521, CQ Vote #206: Motion Agreed To 51-48: R 36-7; D 15-41, 9/25/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2403, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 61-38: R 7-36; D 54-2, 5/6/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #216: Rejected 45-53: R 8-35; D 37-18, 9/18/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 2182, CQ Vote #179: Rejected 45-55: R 8-36; D 37-19, 7/1/94, Kerry Voted Yea)

Has Voted Repeatedly Against Missile Defense. (S. 1507, CQ Vote #171: Motion Agreed To 60-38: R 40-3; D 20-35, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1507, CQ Vote #173: Rejected 46-52: R 5-38; D 41-14, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Yea; H.R. 2521, CQ Vote #207: Motion Agreed To 50-49: R 38-5; D 12-44, 9/25/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2403, CQ Vote #85: Adopted 61-38: R 7-36; D 54-2, 5/6/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #182: Rejected 43-49: R 34-5; D 9-44, 8/7/92, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 3114, CQ Vote #214: Rejected 48-50: R 5-38; D 43-12, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 3114, CQ Vote #215: Adopted 52-46: R 39-4; D 13-42, 9/17/92, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1298, CQ Vote #251: Adopted 50-48: R 6-36; D 44-12, 10/9/93, Kerry Voted Yea; S. Con. Res. 63, CQ Vote #64: Rejected 40-59: R 2-42; D 38-17, 3/22/94, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1026, CQ Vote #354: Motion Agreed To 51-48: R 47-6; D 4-42, 8/3/95, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1087, CQ Vote #384: Rejected 45-54: R 5-49; D 40-5, 8/10/95, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1745, CQ Vote #160: Rejected 44-53: R 4-49; D 40-4, 6/19/96, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #168: Rejected 39-60: R 4-39; D 35-21, 7/31/91, Kerry Voted Yea; S. 1507, CQ Vote #172: Motion Agreed To 64-34: R 39-4; D 25-30, 8/1/91, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1873, CQ Vote #131: Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41; I 0-0, 5/13/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 1873, CQ Vote #262: Rejected 59-41: R 55-0; D 4-41, 9/9/98, Kerry Voted Nay; S 1635, CQ Vote #157: Rejected 53-46: R 52-0; D 1-46, 6/4/96, Kerry Voted Nay; S. 2549, CQ Vote #178: Motion Agreed To 52-48: R 52-3; D 0-45, 7/13/00, Kerry Voted Nay)

KERRY OPPOSED WEAPONS CRITICAL
TO RECENT MILITARY SUCCESSES

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." (Brian C. Mooney, "Taking One Prize, Then A Bigger One," The Boston Globe, 6/19/03)

Weapons Kerry Sought To Phase Out Were Vital In Iraq."[K]erry supported cancellation of a host of weapons systems that have become the basis of US military might -- the high-tech munitions and delivery systems on display to the world as they leveled the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in a matter of weeks." (Brian C. Mooney, "Taking One Prize, Then A Bigger One," The Boston Globe, 6/19/03)

ü F-16 Fighting Falcons."The Air Force would also play an important role in strikes against high-ranking officials of the Ba'ath regime. On April 4, two Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons dropped laser-guided munitions on the house of Ali Hassan al-Majid, a.k.a. 'Chemical Ali,' in Basra." (Abraham Genauer, "Technology And Volume Of Sorties Overwhelmed The Iraqis' Defenses," The Hill, 5/21/03)

ü B-1Bs B-2As F-15 And F-16s."On the night of March 21 alone, the first of 'shock and awe,' coalition air forces flew nearly 2,000 missions. ... Involved were Air Force B-1B Lancers, B-2A Spirits, ... F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons..." (Abraham Genauer, "Technology And Volume Of Sorties Overwhelmed The Iraqis' Defenses," The Hill, 5/21/03)

ü M1 Abrams."'[M1 Abrams] tanks were the sledgehammer in this war,' added Pat Garrett, an associate analyst with GlobalSecurity.org. 'The tank was the tool that allowed [the ground forces] to progress as fast as they did.'" (Patrick O'Connor, "Revolutionary Tank Tactics Alter Iraqi Conflict, Future Of Urban Warfare," The Hill, 5/21/03)

ü Patriot Missile."U.S. Central Command says the Patriots ... have improved to the point where they intercepted nine of the Iraqis' short-range al-Samoud 2 and Ababil-100 missiles in this conflict." (Andrea Stone, "Patriot Missile: Friend Or Foe To Allied Troops?" USA Today, 4/15/03)

ü AH-64 Apache Helicopter."Recently, Apaches in Afghanistan achieved success directly supporting ground troops. ... Whether in shaping the battle in a combined arms Warfighter-type fight where intelligence of the enemy is known, or by conducting close combat attacks in direct support of a ground commander, the Longbow Apache provides significantly increased flexibility and firepower for U.S. Army forces ..." (Maj. David J. Rude and Lt. Col. Daniel E. Williams, "The 'Warfighter Mindset' and the War in Iraq," Army Magazine, 7/03)

ü Tomahawk Cruise Missile."The first operational use [of Tomahawk cruise missiles] was in Operation Desert Storm, 1991, with immense success. The missile has since been used successfully in several other conflicts ... include[ing] Bosnia ... in 1995 and in Iraq again ... in 1996 ... [and in] strikes against training camps run by Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in Afghanistan in 1998. Cruise missiles were also fired during the air campaign over Kosovo in 1999." (Vivek Rai, "Cruise Missiles, By Air And Sea," MSNBC.com, Accessed 7/17/03)

ü Aegis Air-Defense Cruiser. "During Operation Iraqi Freedom, [the Aegis cruiser] Bunker Hill ... was one of the first warships to conduct Tomahawk strikes against leadership targets in Iraq. The ship launched a total of 31 missiles during the war. Its embarked ... helicopter detachment ... supported the rescue of United Nations workers being forcibly removed from oil platforms in the Northern Arabian Gulf and provided medical evacuations from the Iraqi city of Umm Qasr." (S.A. Thornbloom, "USS Bunker Hill Makes Revolutionary Return," NavyDispatch.com, Accessed 7/17/03)

During 1980s, Kerry And Michael Dukakis Joined Forces With Liberal Group Dedicated To Slashing Defense. Kerry sat on the board of "Jobs With Peace Campaign," which sought to "develop public support for cutting the defense budget..."("Pentagon Demonstrators Call For Home-Building, Not Bombs," The Associated Press, 6/3/88)

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)

 

[Red Dawn]

Meh, never thought Kerry was so hot. One thing in his favor though, he never lied to the American Public to garner their support for the ill conceived invasion and occupation in Iraq.

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Meh, never thought Kerry was so hot. One thing in his favor though, he never lied to the American Public to garner their support for the ill conceived invasion and occupation in Iraq.

Interesting, but the topic of the thread is Kerry's voting record on defense. What do you think about that?

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Meh, never thought Kerry was so hot. One thing in his favor though, he never lied to the American Public to garner their support for the ill conceived invasion and occupation in Iraq.

Interesting, but the topic of the thread is Kerry's voting record on defense. What do you think about that?

Good man. Only a reckless fool would vote for every single defense bill presented. The same applies for any other category of spending bills, e.g., every education bill, every social programs bill, etc. Spending bills are invariably loaded with pork. I'm glad to see Kerry has the fiscal responsibility to vote against a few of them.

Now, if you want to present useful information, show us the overall Senate vote for each of those bills. Show us a list of all the defense bills Kerry voted for. Show us the history of each of the bills you listed, including any amendments or other changes made to gain passage on subsequent votes. Show us you're capable of meaningful analysis instead of being just another blind partisan parrot.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Meh, never thought Kerry was so hot. One thing in his favor though, he never lied to the American Public to garner their support for the ill conceived invasion and occupation in Iraq.

Interesting, but the topic of the thread is Kerry's voting record on defense. What do you think about that?

I already said that I didn't think much about Kerry, I was just opining that in spite of his record on defense spending he hasn't lied to the American Public like the Dub has done. In my opinion that makes the Dub worse than Kerry because he has shown himself as being untrustworthy and if you can't trust your leader he is worthless.

 

[Riprorin]

John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

He realizes the grave situation that the Dub put us in with his excellent adventure in Iraq!

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

What's to reconcile? Kerry has an excellent voting record on defense spending. (See my post above.)

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Riprorin
John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

He realizes the grave situation that the Dub put us in with his excellent adventure in Iraq!

I interpret it that his record on defense spending is reckless and stupid and now he is running from his voting record.

What do you think our military would look like now if Kerry's votes had prevailed?

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Riprorin
John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

He realizes the grave situation that the Dub put us in with his excellent adventure in Iraq!

I interpret it that his record on defense spending is reckless and stupid and now he is running from his voting record.

What do you think our military would look like now if Kerry's votes had prevailed?

I don't know.

 

[josphII]

Originally posted by: Bowfinger

Originally posted by: Riprorin
John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

What's to reconcile? Kerry has an excellent voting record on defense spending. (See my post above.)

why do you think he has an excellent voting record on defense spending? you do NOT expalin this position in your above post.

 

[conjur]

Did Kerry Oppose Tanks & Planes? Not Lately

Kerry voted often against nuclear missiles and bombers in the '90s, but GOP claims that he opposed a long list of conventional weapons are overblown.

and

Since 1996, the John Kerry who once opposed the Apache helicopter and wanted to cut Tomahawk cruise-missile funds by 50% has evolved into a steady supporter of military budgets. Starting in 1997 Kerry voted for every regular Department of Defense appropriations bill and for every authorization bill as well.

 

[PELarson]

FactCheck.org's analysis

 

[Spamela]

his defense spending record as posted doesn't mean squat,
and i doubt that it changes anyone's perception of him one bit.

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Riprorin
John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

He realizes the grave situation that the Dub put us in with his excellent adventure in Iraq!

I interpret it that his record on defense spending is reckless and stupid and now he is running from his voting record.

What do you think our military would look like now if Kerry's votes had prevailed?

I don't know.

Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, added an amendment to the Fiscal 1996 Budget Resolution that would freeze defense spending for seven years and transfer the $34.8 billion in savings to education and job training. Kerry Voted Yea (Senate Congressional Resolution 13, CQ Vote #181: Rejected 28-71) If that amendment had passed in 1996, I'm guess that our military would have been in poor shape by 2001.

 

[Riprorin]

When questioned on defense funding, he said: "I have voted for almost all weapon systems that we have today with few exceptions. Unfortunately, these are people who've never met a system they didn't like. I have." Kerry voted against the B-1 bomber, B-2 stealth bomber, the Apache helicopter, Patriot missile system, the F-15, F-14A, F-14D jets, the AV-8B Harrier jet, and the Trident missile system. He also said he would make sure there were cutbacks to the M1 Abrams tank, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Tomahawk cruise missile, and the F-16 jet. If these are the "unimportant" items he voted against, what on earth were the important ones he did vote for?

 

[conjur]

You'd have been guessing wrong. The total defense and military-related budget in 1996 was about $500 billion!

http://www.cdi.org/issues/realtota.html

$34.8 billion is only 7% of that. Sounds like some cost-cutting and pork-removal was being attempted.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
When questioned on defense funding, he said: "I have voted for almost all weapon systems that we have today with few exceptions. Unfortunately, these are people who've never met a system they didn't like. I have." Kerry voted against the B-1 bomber, B-2 stealth bomber, the Apache helicopter, Patriot missile system, the F-15, F-14A, F-14D jets, the AV-8B Harrier jet, and the Trident missile system. He also said he would make sure there were cutbacks to the M1 Abrams tank, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Tomahawk cruise missile, and the F-16 jet. If these are the "unimportant" items he voted against, what on earth were the important ones he did vote for?

Let's stick to the facts and leave the spin outside, shall we?

http://slate.msn.com/id/2096127/

They should also have looked up some testimony by Dick Cheney, the first President Bush's secretary of defense (and now vice president), three days later, boasting of similar slashings before the Senate Armed Services Committee:

Overall, since I've been Secretary, we will have taken the five-year defense program down by well over $300 billion. That's the peace dividend. ? And now we're adding to that another $50 billion ? of so-called peace dividend.

Cheney proceeded to lay into the then-Democratically controlled Congress for refusing to cut more weapons systems.

Congress has let me cancel a few programs. But you've squabbled and sometimes bickered and horse-traded and ended up forcing me to spend money on weapons that don't fill a vital need in these times of tight budgets and new requirements. ? You've directed me to buy more M-1s, F-14s, and F-16s?all great systems ? but we have enough of them.

The Republican operatives might also have noticed Gen. Colin Powell, then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at the same hearings, testifying about plans to cut Army divisions by one-third, Navy aircraft carriers by one-fifth, and active armed forces by half a million men and women, to say noting of "major reductions" in fighter wings and strategic bombers.

Granted, these reductions were made in the wake of the Soviet Union's dissolution and the Cold War's demise. But that's just the point: Proposed cuts must be examined in context. A vote against a particular weapons system doesn't necessarily indicate indifference toward national defense.

Looking at the weapons that the RNC says Kerry voted to cut, a good case could be made, certainly at the time, that some of them (the B-2 bomber and President Reagan's "Star Wars" missile-defense program) should have been cut. As for the others (the M-1 tank and the F-14, F-15, and F-16 fighter planes, among others), Kerry didn't really vote to cut them.

The claim about these votes was made in the Republican National Committee "Research Briefing" of Feb. 22. The report lists 13 weapons systems that Kerry voted to cut?the ones cited above, as well as Patriot air-defense missiles, Tomahawk cruise missiles, and AH64 Apache helicopters, among others.

It is instructive, however, to look at the footnotes. Almost all of them cite Kerry's vote on Senate bill S. 3189 (CQ Vote No. 273) on Oct. 15, 1990. Do a Google search, and you will learn that S. 3189 was the Fiscal Year 1991 Defense Appropriations Act, and CQ Vote No. 273 was a vote on the entire bill. There was no vote on those weapons systems specifically.

On a couple of the weapons, the RNC report cites H.R. 5803 and H.R. 2126. Look those up. They turn out to be votes on the House-Senate conference committee reports for the defense appropriations bills in October 1990 (the same year as S. 3189) and September 1995.
:
:
Another bit of dishonesty is RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie's claim, at a news conference today, that in 1995, Kerry voted to cut $1.5 billion from the intelligence budget. John Pike, who runs the invaluable globalsecurity.org Web site, told me what that cut was about: The Air Force's National Reconnaissance Office had appropriated that much money to operate a spy satellite that, as things turned out, it never launched. So the Senate passed an amendment rescinding the money?not to cancel a program, but to get a refund on a program that the NRO had canceled. Kerry voted for the amendment, as did a majority of his colleagues.

An examination of Kerry's real voting record during his 20 years in the Senate indicates that he did vote to restrict or cut certain weapons systems. From 1989-92, he supported amendments to halt production of the B-2 stealth bomber. (In 1992, George H.W. Bush halted it himself.) It is true that the B-2 came in handy during the recent war in Iraq?but for reasons having nothing to do with its original rationale.

http://www.fair.org/press-releases/kerry-military-votes.html

One of the few reporters to take a serious look at the RNC's list-- on which 10 of the 13 items refer to the single 1991 vote-- was Slate's Fred Kaplan (2/25/04). Kaplan noted that 16 senators, including five Republicans, voted against the bill. Kaplan concluded that the claim against Kerry "reeks of rank dishonesty."

Kaplan also pointed out that at the time of the 1991 vote, deeper cuts in military spending were being advocated by some prominent Republicans-- including then-President George H.W Bush and Dick Cheney, who was secretary of defense at the time. As Kaplan noted, Cheney appealed for more cuts from Congress: "You've squabbled and sometimes bickered and horse-traded and ended up forcing me to spend money on weapons that don't fill a vital need in these times of tight budgets and new requirements."

Cheney went to name the M-1 tank and the F-14 and F-16 fighters-- all of which appear on the RNC's list-- as "great systems" that "we have enough of."

Ironically, Cheney made the rounds on the cable channels on March 2, criticizing Kerry's record in terms parallel to the RNC's release. During an interview with Fox News Channel's Brit Hume, Cheney said: "What we're concerned about, what I'm concerned about, is his record in the United States Senate, where he clearly has over the years adopted a series of positions that indicate a desire to cut the defense budget, to cut the intelligence budget, to eliminate many major weapons programs."

Unfortunately, Hume failed to raise an important follow-up: Why was Cheney now criticizing Kerry for having essentially the same position Cheney advocated back in 1991?

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Riprorin
When questioned on defense funding, he said: "I have voted for almost all weapon systems that we have today with few exceptions. Unfortunately, these are people who've never met a system they didn't like. I have." Kerry voted against the B-1 bomber, B-2 stealth bomber, the Apache helicopter, Patriot missile system, the F-15, F-14A, F-14D jets, the AV-8B Harrier jet, and the Trident missile system. He also said he would make sure there were cutbacks to the M1 Abrams tank, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Tomahawk cruise missile, and the F-16 jet. If these are the "unimportant" items he voted against, what on earth were the important ones he did vote for?

Let's stick to the facts and leave the spin outside, shall we?

http://slate.msn.com/id/2096127/

You want to leave the spin outside, yet you link to Slate? Lol.

Unfortunately for you, Kerry's voting record is in the public domain for all to see.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: Riprorin
When questioned on defense funding, he said: "I have voted for almost all weapon systems that we have today with few exceptions. Unfortunately, these are people who've never met a system they didn't like. I have." Kerry voted against the B-1 bomber, B-2 stealth bomber, the Apache helicopter, Patriot missile system, the F-15, F-14A, F-14D jets, the AV-8B Harrier jet, and the Trident missile system. He also said he would make sure there were cutbacks to the M1 Abrams tank, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the Tomahawk cruise missile, and the F-16 jet. If these are the "unimportant" items he voted against, what on earth were the important ones he did vote for?

Let's stick to the facts and leave the spin outside, shall we?

http://slate.msn.com/id/2096127/

You want to leave the spin outside, yet you link to Slate? Lol.

Unfortunately for you, Kerry's voting record is in the public domain for all to see.

Kind of like the mutilated bodies of those four Contractors in Iraq hanging from the bridge!!!

 

[beer]

Maybe if we had a military more in-line with that of our best allies we wouldn't be unilaterally invading sovreign nations.

 

[zillafurby]

Originally posted by: Riprorin
Candidate: Sen. John Kerry (D) Mass

Voting Record

SEN. KERRY'S DEFENSE STRATEGY:
CUT CRITICAL WEAPONS SYSTEMS

blah, blah, blah,

maybe he wanted to spend the money on more hospitals and schools.

 

[Riprorin]

Originally posted by: beer
Maybe if we had a military more in-line with that of our best allies we wouldn't be unilaterally invading sovreign nations.

"Uni" means one. More than one country participated in the the attack. Therefore, it wasn't unilateral.

 

[zillafurby]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Riprorin
John Kerry stated that in his first 100 days in office he would increase the military by 40,000 troops. "In the face of grave challenges, our armed forces are spread too thin."

How do you reconcile that with his voting record on defense spending?

He realizes the grave situation that the Dub put us in with his excellent adventure in Iraq!

I interpret it that his record on defense spending is reckless and stupid and now he is running from his voting record.

What do you think our military would look like now if Kerry's votes had prevailed?

less cold war metal plinking and more light and efficent in guerilla conflicts, erm like it should be now. maybe he recognises the need of the current time and want more men now to do a good job fast, then cut back after again. Dub cant even to begin to comprehend the arguments.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Riprorin

Originally posted by: beer
Maybe if we had a military more in-line with that of our best allies we wouldn't be unilaterally invading sovreign nations.

"Uni" means one. More than one country participated in the the attack. Therefore, it wasn't unilateral.

Yeah we shouldn't discount the Coalition of the Bought and Paid for!