Senator Kyl: I'll Walk if any Defense Cuts are Proposed

[Doppel]

That committee was never going to amount to much. Nobody will possibly be the one responsible for cuts with their name attached to a short list. The political system just won't tolerate such heads sticking out without hammering them down. I imagine the committee will end up stale mating for the most part.

 

[trenchfoot]

I'm just wondering if the Bush tax cuts that's going to sunset in the near future will be tossed on the table as an inclusive issue. That should really get both sides diving for their bunkers.

 

[Balt]

Let him take his ball and go home. Anyone who would even make such threats shouldn't be on that committee. Peace out, brah.

 

[NeoV]

"I am becoming convinced that the GOP's main priorities are not for what is best for the US but more have to do with seeing Mr Obama fail."

I'd like to think this isn't true, but it's becoming more and more apparent that it is.

Our defense spending - like all of our other spending, should be on the table for cuts. Even if you cut our defense spending in half - we'd still be spending more than anyone else in the world is on it.

 

[Craig234]

"I am becoming convinced that the GOP's main priorities are not for what is best for the US but more have to do with seeing Mr Obama fail."

I'd like to think this isn't true, but it's becoming more and more apparent that it is.

Our defense spending - like all of our other spending, should be on the table for cuts. Even if you cut our defense spending in half - we'd still be spending more than anyone else in the world is on it.

If you cut our defense spending in half, and you doubled the next biggest country's, we'd be spending $115 billion more than them.

 

[Argo]

General summary:

Senator John Kyl (R), Arizona, a member of the deficit reduction Super Committe, threatened to walk from the committee if there is talk of any defense cuts whatsoever:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904103404576558993243510256.html

Several salient points:

1. Is it constructive for anyone on that committee to threaten to walk based on a single issue litmus test?

2. Given that 50% of the $1.2 trillion in automatic cuts that will occur if the committee fails to arrive at consensus will come from the DoD, isn't Kyl's stance rather self-defeating and frankly idiotic? If he opposes defense cuts shouldn't he stay on the committe and try to negotiate a smaller defense cut?

3. Why should defense be off the table as deficit reduction?

I'm particularly curious if anyone here would actually defend the Senator's stance on this, and if so on what ground.

- wolf

More grandstanding and posturing, I guess.

 

[cubby1223]

Curious what the actual quote is. All I can see on the link is "I'm off of the committee, if we're going to talk about further defense spending" which really doesn't say anything either way. Just would like to know.

I do find it VERY disturbing that googling that line, brings up a bazillion blog sites, none of which I've found yet that fills in what Kyl said before or after that line.

I mean, what the hell is wrong with "journalism" these days? Yes give us your biased ideological all-things-Republican-hating speeches, but at least have the courtesy to present the full source material for reference.

Otherwise, these bloggers and everyone else in this thread can kindly fuck off

 

[cubby1223]

Aww, did my little comment derail this "discussion"?

One day all of you will look in the mirror and question where the fuck you went wrong with your lives. Where did all the anger come from?

 

[Ausm]

Let him walk. If he walks, defense cuts kick in automatically.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: