Zell Tries to Hide GOP's Record of Defense Cutting
[Zell's hypocracy knows no bounds]
Columbus, OH -- Last night, while attempting to condemn John Kerry on defense issues, Zell Miller conveniently papered over Vice President Dick Cheney’s disastrous record of reckless defense cuts. What Miller failed to tell the viewers was that during Vice President Cheney’s tenure as Secretary of Defense, he proposed some of the largest cuts to our military in history.
Cheney’s anti-military proposals include:
As Secretary of Defense under Bush Sr., Cheney launched a major Dept. of Defense downsizing, cutting major weapons programs: “I’ve always liked to remind everybody at the outset that we are already embarked upon a massive reduction in U.S. military capability, a 25-percent cut in force structure. We’ve got the lowest active force today that we’ve had since before Korea. I’ve eliminated 70,000 civilian jobs in the last 18 months out of the Pentagon. I’ve closed or terminated 81 programs. We’re shutting down 300 military bases worldwide. It’s a massive reduction already underway.” [Source: Cheney on ABC’s “This Week,” 9/29/91]
Cheney on shutting down F-14D production:
“What I recommended to the Committee was that we shut down the new F-14D production line, which will save almost $2.5 billion...” [Source: Newsday, 2/5/91; Cheney testimony to House Armed Services Committee, 7/13/89]
Cheney cutting B-2 bombers by 45%: “Defense Secretary Richard Cheney announced a cutback… of nearly 45 percent in the administration’s B-2 Stealth bomber program, from 132 airplanes to 75.” [Source: Boston Globe, 4/27/90]
Cheney forcing AH-64 Apache cuts: “This is just a list of some of the programs that I’ve recommended termination: the V-22 Osprey, the F-14D, the Army Helicopter Improvement Program, Phoenix missile, F-15E, the Apache helicopter, the M1 tank, et cetera.” [Source: Cheney testimony, Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, 6/12/90]
”The Army, as I indicated in my earlier testimony, recommended to me that we keep a robust Apache helicopter program going forward, AH-64…I forced the Army to make choices…So I recommended that we cancel the AH-64 program two years out.” [Source: Cheney testimony, House Armed Services Committee, 7/13/89]
Cheney cutting off F-13 program: “Cheney signed off on the fiscal 1991 recisions on Jan. 7, more than a week before the start of the war with Iraq. The decision to cut off F-14 remanufacture - modernizing F-14As into Ds - is consistent with what sources said is an apparent Cheney fiscal 1992 budget decision to turn down the Navy’s request for new F-14D procurement, while supporting funding for an upgraded F/A-18 with increased strike capability. F-14 funds recissions were from the procurement account, sources said.”
Cheney on ending F-15 production: “But the overall message brought out by Cheney on Wednesday was that the industry will face cutbacks through the mid-1990s…The Pentagon plan includes an end to production of the Grumman F-14 and McDonnell F-15 jet fighters, both of which have significant content in California, including radars built by Hughes.” [Source: Los Angeles Times, 1/30/92]
More importantly, as we look to the future of our intelligence community and our nations national security, the President’s nominee to head the intelligence community has consistently pushed to cut our intelligence budget. Just last month the Washington Post reported that Rep. Porter Goss proposed intelligence cuts larger than anything Kerry ever supported – and Goss’s cuts targeted human intelligence: “But the cuts Goss supported are larger than those proposed by Kerry and specifically targeted the “human intelligence” that has recently been found lacking. The recent report by the commission probing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks called for more spending on human intelligence.” [Source: Washington Post, 8/24/04]
Zell Miller Praises Kerry in 2001
In 2001 at the Georgia Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner Senator Miller had praised John Kerry’s leadership and service. Now only three years later his tune has changed leaving one to wonder whether Mr. Miller’s statements have any credibility.
Zell Miller in 2001 speaking about John Kerry:
“My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation’s authentic heroes, one of this party’s best-known and greatest leaders—and a good friend. He was once a lieutenant governor—but he didn’t stay in that office 16 years, like someone else I know. It just took two years before the people of Massachusetts moved him into the United States Senate in 1984.—U.S. Sen. Zell Miller (Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001)…..
“In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington. Early in his Senate career in 1986, John signed on to the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Bill, and he fought for balanced budgets before it was considered politically correct for Democrats to do so. John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment.”—U.S. Sen. Zell Miller (Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001)
Columbus, OH -- Last night, while attempting to condemn John Kerry on defense issues, Zell Miller conveniently papered over Vice President Dick Cheney’s disastrous record of reckless defense cuts. What Miller failed to tell the viewers was that during Vice President Cheney’s tenure as Secretary of Defense, he proposed some of the largest cuts to our military in history.
Cheney’s anti-military proposals include:
As Secretary of Defense under Bush Sr., Cheney launched a major Dept. of Defense downsizing, cutting major weapons programs: “I’ve always liked to remind everybody at the outset that we are already embarked upon a massive reduction in U.S. military capability, a 25-percent cut in force structure. We’ve got the lowest active force today that we’ve had since before Korea. I’ve eliminated 70,000 civilian jobs in the last 18 months out of the Pentagon. I’ve closed or terminated 81 programs. We’re shutting down 300 military bases worldwide. It’s a massive reduction already underway.” [Source: Cheney on ABC’s “This Week,” 9/29/91]
Cheney on shutting down F-14D production:
“What I recommended to the Committee was that we shut down the new F-14D production line, which will save almost $2.5 billion...” [Source: Newsday, 2/5/91; Cheney testimony to House Armed Services Committee, 7/13/89]
Cheney cutting B-2 bombers by 45%: “Defense Secretary Richard Cheney announced a cutback… of nearly 45 percent in the administration’s B-2 Stealth bomber program, from 132 airplanes to 75.” [Source: Boston Globe, 4/27/90]
Cheney forcing AH-64 Apache cuts: “This is just a list of some of the programs that I’ve recommended termination: the V-22 Osprey, the F-14D, the Army Helicopter Improvement Program, Phoenix missile, F-15E, the Apache helicopter, the M1 tank, et cetera.” [Source: Cheney testimony, Senate Appropriations Committee, Defense Subcommittee, 6/12/90]
”The Army, as I indicated in my earlier testimony, recommended to me that we keep a robust Apache helicopter program going forward, AH-64…I forced the Army to make choices…So I recommended that we cancel the AH-64 program two years out.” [Source: Cheney testimony, House Armed Services Committee, 7/13/89]
Cheney cutting off F-13 program: “Cheney signed off on the fiscal 1991 recisions on Jan. 7, more than a week before the start of the war with Iraq. The decision to cut off F-14 remanufacture - modernizing F-14As into Ds - is consistent with what sources said is an apparent Cheney fiscal 1992 budget decision to turn down the Navy’s request for new F-14D procurement, while supporting funding for an upgraded F/A-18 with increased strike capability. F-14 funds recissions were from the procurement account, sources said.”
Cheney on ending F-15 production: “But the overall message brought out by Cheney on Wednesday was that the industry will face cutbacks through the mid-1990s…The Pentagon plan includes an end to production of the Grumman F-14 and McDonnell F-15 jet fighters, both of which have significant content in California, including radars built by Hughes.” [Source: Los Angeles Times, 1/30/92]
More importantly, as we look to the future of our intelligence community and our nations national security, the President’s nominee to head the intelligence community has consistently pushed to cut our intelligence budget. Just last month the Washington Post reported that Rep. Porter Goss proposed intelligence cuts larger than anything Kerry ever supported – and Goss’s cuts targeted human intelligence: “But the cuts Goss supported are larger than those proposed by Kerry and specifically targeted the “human intelligence” that has recently been found lacking. The recent report by the commission probing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks called for more spending on human intelligence.” [Source: Washington Post, 8/24/04]
Zell Miller Praises Kerry in 2001
In 2001 at the Georgia Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner Senator Miller had praised John Kerry’s leadership and service. Now only three years later his tune has changed leaving one to wonder whether Mr. Miller’s statements have any credibility.
Zell Miller in 2001 speaking about John Kerry:
“My job tonight is an easy one: to present to you one of this nation’s authentic heroes, one of this party’s best-known and greatest leaders—and a good friend. He was once a lieutenant governor—but he didn’t stay in that office 16 years, like someone else I know. It just took two years before the people of Massachusetts moved him into the United States Senate in 1984.—U.S. Sen. Zell Miller (Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001)…..
“In his 16 years in the Senate, John Kerry has fought against government waste and worked hard to bring some accountability to Washington. Early in his Senate career in 1986, John signed on to the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Deficit Reduction Bill, and he fought for balanced budgets before it was considered politically correct for Democrats to do so. John has worked to strengthen our military, reform public education, boost the economy and protect the environment.”—U.S. Sen. Zell Miller (Remarks to the Democratic Party of Georgia Jefferson Jackson Dinner 2001)
posted by BLONDIE at 10:46 AM
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