Posted on 09/12/2004 1:35:51 PM PDT by mastercylinder
In recent days CBS News revealed 30-year old documents regarding President Bush's service in the Air National Guard. Those documents now appear to be forgeries.
But what has been lost in the Bush National Guard memo affair was the release of another old document that appears to be much more relevant to the presidential election.
Powerline Blog published a 1984 press release from John Kerry's senate campaign [Page 1 / Page 2] in which Kerry's stance on defense is clear.
This press release is especially interesting because (a) Kerry is running on building a "stronger America" and (b) the Kerry campaign has denied that he opposed many of the weapon systems he has been accused of opposing but rather opposed only entire defense appropriations bills.
In that document, candidate Kerry calls for reducing the Reagan defense buildup by some $50 billion by making cuts to specific weapons systems. Let's analyze the list of weapons that John Kerry wanted to cancel back in 1984:
• MX ICBM . This modern ballistic missile served as one of the backbones of the U.S. nuclear deterrent triad during the Cold War--a strategic force that eventually played a large roll in the defeat of the Soviet Union.
• B-1 Bomber . Also a major system in the nuclear triad, the B-1 went on to play a key role as a long-range, all-weather, heavy, precision bomber in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. The B-1's range and huge payload capacity were especially important given the lack of basing rights in the region for both campaigns.
• Anti-Satellite System (ASAT) . This system was a missile designed to be carried by an F-15 interceptor to a very high altitude and then launched into the atmosphere to shoot down enemy satellites. Unfortunately, the ASAT was indeed shelved due to budget constraints. Now we are learning more every day that Red China is working on systems to shoot down satellites and rogue nations, such as Iran and North Korea, have satellite programs. The ASAT capability would be quite useful.
• Star Wars . Probably no weapon system had greater impact on the Cold War's outcome in the 1980s than Star Wars, or SDI, the Strategic Defense Initiative. It was designed to provide America with a defense against incoming ballistic missiles. Leftist opposition to the program just about killed the whole concept, but its heart kept beating ever so feintly and now we are close to deploying national missile defense. Of course, had the left not opposed the program from its outset, we would surely already have a defense against incoming ballistic missiles from countries like Iran and North Korea. As we stand now, we are completely defenseless against missile attack.
• Tomahawk missile . I guess Kerry should get partial credit here. He only advocated cutting funding for the Tomahawk by 50%. That may have been very damaging though since the Tomahawk is probably the most widely used weapon against terrorists and rogue nations over the past dozen years or so. The Tomahawk played a key role in Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, as well as a few other military operations in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East.
• AH-64 Apache attack helicopter . The Apache is the most modern attack helicopter in the world. Apaches fired the first shots in Operation Desert Storm and have played key roles in Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. John Kerry wanted to cancel the Apache program.
• DIVAD system . The DIVAD air defense system was designed to protect U.S. ground forces from the Soviet Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter, which was much feared and widely used by communist forces in 1984. The DIVAD was basically a radar-directed twin 40mm turret mounted on an old M-48 Patton tank chassis. The system was cancelled after performing poorly in numerous tests and experiencing cost overruns. Kerry may have actually been right about this one...pure dumb luck.
• Patriot Air Defense Missile . No weapon system symbolizes John Kerry's horrible record on national defense more than the Patriot, which he sought to cancel in 1984. Seven years later, Patriots were saving lives in Desert Storm by shooting down Iraqi SCUD ballistic missiles. They repeated that role in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Today the Patriot is the most modern air defense system in the world and in use in South Korea, Japan, several parts of Europe, Israel, and other places in the Middle East. No thanks to John Kerry.
• AEGIS guided missile cruiser . The AEGIS air defense system-equipped guided missile cruisers form the backbone of the U.S. fleet. They have proven instrumental in everything from air and missile defense to drug interdiction. They have also played a key role in operational evolutions in launching cruise missile attacks on rogue nations and terrorist bases.
• Iowa-class Battleship Reactivations . Seldom in the history of warfare has a naval fleet gotten so much bang for the buck as the U.S. Navy got for the modernization and reactivation of the USS New Jersey, USS Iowa, USS Wisconsin and USS Missouri. For the cost of a frigate, the U.S. Navy got a magnificent capital ship able to dominate the seas and land for hundreds of miles around. These vessels played a key role in the Cold War and also in operations from Beirut in 1983-84 to Operation Desert Storm in 1991. On what basis John Kerry opposed the reactivation of the Iowa-class battleships truly pro-U.S. security people may never know.
• AV-8B Harrier . The Harrier is the world's only operational V/TOL (vertical take off and landing) combat jet. It is the key player in Marine aviation and close air support and played a major role in support of our troops in Desert Storm, Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, saving the lives of Americans on the front lines.
• F-15 Eagle . The F-15 has been the world's foremost fighter aircraft since it entered service in the late 1970s. It guarded the skies as part of NORAD in the Cold War and did so again after 9-11. In between the F-15 ensured air superiority in virtually every major military operation in which the U.S. was involved.
• F-14A/D Tomcat . The F-14, only now being replaced by the new F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, is the world's premier naval fighter. It was essential to the protection of the U.S. fleet during the Cold War from the mid-1970s on. F-14s twice shot down Libyan interceptors over international waters during the 1980s and later versions became outstanding all weather precision attack aircraft. In fact, for much of Operation Enduring Freedom, the F-14 provided the entire precision guided attack capability of the U.S. military as basing rights were hard to come by for land based aircraft and the F/A-18C/D Hornet lacked the range and endurance necessary to perform the mission over Afghanistan. Another great airplane that John Kerry wanted to shoot down on Capitol hill.
• AIM-54 Phoenix air to air missile . This long range missile was carried exclusively by the F-14 and could bring down targets as far as 110 nautical miles away flying just above sea level or as high as 60,000 feet. Of course, since John Kerry sought to kill the F-14, it only made sense that he should seek to rid our military of its key weapon as well.
• AIM-7 Sparrow air to air missile . The Sparrow was the chief radar guided air to air missile in the U.S. inventory from the 1950s until the relatively recent introduction of the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Sparrow was the main armament of the F-15, F-16 and F-18 and the secondary armament of the F-14. One wonders what Kerry thought we would have armed our fighter aircraft with had he gotten his way and the Sparrow was cancelled?
This list shows that no area of our national defense was safe from John Kerry. He has fought equally hard on Capitol Hill against the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines over the course of his entire career. We can only shudder to think what would have happened had he won the day and all of these key weapons had been cancelled.
Next time you see a sign that says, "Kerry for a stronger America," you may want to stop and think about all these tools in the hands of our servicemen and women that would not have been procured and deployed had John Kerry gotten his way.
"A few weeks ago, Thomas Oliphant of the Boston Globe was on PBS' ''Newshour'' explaining why the hundreds of swift boat veterans' allegations against John Kerry's conduct in Vietnam was unworthy of his attention. "The standard of clear and convincing evidence," he said, talking to Swiftvet John O'Neill as if he were a backward fourth-grader, ''is what keeps this story in the tabloids -- because it does not meet basic standards.''
Last week, we got a good idea of what Thomas Oliphant's ''basic standards'' are. Dan Rather and the elderly gentlemen at ''60 Minutes'' were all atwitter because they'd come into possession of some hitherto undiscovered memos relating to whether George W. Bush failed to show up for his physical in the War of 1812. The media had been flogging this dead horse all spring, but these newly ''discovered'' memos had jump-started the old nag just enough to get him on his knees long enough for the media to flog him all over again.
Unfortunately for CBS, Dan Rather's hairdresser sucks up so much of the budget that there was nothing left for any fact-checking, so the ''60 Minutes'' crew rushed on air with a damning National Guard memo conveniently called ''CYA'' that Bush's commanding officer had written to himself 32 years ago. ''This was too hot not to push,'' one producer told the American Spectator. Hundreds of living Swiftvets who've signed affidavits and are prepared to testify on camera -- that's way too cold to push; we'd want to fact-check that one thoroughly, till, say, midway through John Kerry's second term. But a handful of memos by one dead guy slipped to us by a Kerry campaign operative -- that meets ''basic standards'' and we gotta get it out there right away."
http://www.suntimes.com/output/steyn/cst-edt-steyn12.html
> Anti-Satellite System (ASAT) ...
This did get cancelled, after one successful test against
a LEO target (much to the dismay of users still taking
data from the past-prime sat).
I expect we could resume the program on short notice, but
it's unfortunately very dangerous to test, because it
adds to the space junk problem. I'd like to think we have
ground-based lasers that accomplish the same result without
the side effects.
> DIVAD
Without known on what grounds Kerry opposed this, I'd
give him NO credit for opposing it.
As in industry, not all product proposals go on to
market acceptance. A manager who opposed everything is
hardly to be congratulated for the few failures.
John F*ckin' would be happy to see his army of hamsters equipped with spitball cannons. <playing Mighty Mouse theme Help Is On The Way! (laughing)
709,000 REGULAR (ACTIVE DUTY) PERSONNEL.
293,000 RESERVE TROOPS.
EIGHT STANDING ARMY DIVISIONS.
20 AIR FORCE AND NAVY AIR WINGS WITH 2,000 COMBAT AIRCRAFT
232 STRATEGIC BOMBERS.
19 STRATEGIC BALLISTIC MISSILE SUBMARINES WITH 3,114 NUCLEAR WARHEADS ON 232 MISSILES.
500 ICBMs WITH 1,950 WARHEADS.
FOUR AIRCRAFT CARRIERS AND 121 SURFACE COMBAT SHIPS AND SUBMARINES PLUS ALL THE SUPPORT BASES, SHIPYARDS, AND LOGISTICAL ASSETS NEEDED TO SUSTAIN SUCH A NAVAL FORCE.
IS THIS COUNTRY-
RUSSIA ? NO
CHINA ? NO
GREAT BRITAIN ? NO
FRANCE ? WRONG AGAIN ( What a Laugh!!!!!)
MUST BE USA ? STILL WRONG (SORT OF)
GIVE UP ?
THESE ARE THE AMERICAN MILITARY FORCES THAT WERE ELIMINATED DURING THE ADMINISTRATION OF BILL CLINTON AND AL GORE.
AND [their elimination] was 100% SUPPORTED BY JOHN KERRY (THESE HE DID VOTE ON) SLEEP WELL!
This is not a new message, but a reminder of why we now have over-deployed our National Guard and Reserve Units.
KERRY SAID CHECK THE RECORD
Sen. John Kerry, Democrat from Massachusetts says he is the strongest Presidential Candidate on National Defense ! He said Check the Record..
We Did !
Here is what we learned:
He voted to kill the Bradley Fighting Vehicle
He voted to kill the M-1 Abrams Tank
He voted to kill every Aircraft carrier laid down from 1988
He voted to kill the Aegis anti aircraft system
He voted to Kill the F-15 strike eagle
He voted to Kill the Block 60 F-16
He voted to Kill the P-3 Orion upgrade
He voted to Kill the B-1
He voted to Kill the B-2
He voted to Kill the Patriot anti Missile system
He voted to Kill the FA-18
He voted to Kill the B-2
He voted to Kill the F117
He voted to kill every military appropriation for the development and deployment of every weapons systems since 1988,including a bill for battle armor for our troops.
It is most likely, with Sen. John Kerry as President and Commander in Chief of our Armed Services, that they will cease to function making it impossible for our country to protect itself. John Kerry voted to kill all anti-terrorism activities of each and every agency of the U.S. Government.
He voted to cut the funding of the FBI by 60%.
He voted to cut the funding for the CIA by 80%.
He voted to cut the funding for the NSA by 80%.
THEN, and this is abhorrent to almost every American Voter be you Democrat, Republican or Independent, he voted to increase OUR funding for U.N operations by 800% !
Ask yourself Is THIS the person you want as President of these United States providing for the Common Defense of the Nation And be the Leader of the Free World ?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Voting history can be accessed through Senate voting records.
The above is an accurate summary.
Whooo-rahhh!!!
MEGA- 
Stay Strong
Fuzzy
Bookmarking for later read.
Bump
He voted against kevlar vest, hummer armor, and $1.3 B in Veterans health care all found in the $87 B he voted NO on.
"John Kerry" stands for wrong. Wrong on darn near anything and everything an American or any freedom loving person would want.
bttt
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