Credit military success to Clinton's policies, not Bush's defense spending spree

The Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | April 10, 2003 | Matt Miller

[baseballmom]

Credit military success to Clinton's policies, not Bush's defense spending spree

With that indelible image of Saddam's toppling statue forever banishing the doubts of the armchair generals, and with the amazing achievements of the United States armed forces coming into sharper relief, it's time for all honest observers - and especially conservatives - to confront a simple fact:

The remarkable feats in Iraq are being performed by Bill Clinton's military.

This should be obvious to anyone not blinded by ideology or partisanship. We've been told repeatedly how much more lethal and accurate our forces are in 2003 than they were in 1991 - so much so that we needed only 250,000 troops to drive to Baghdad and change the regime, as opposed to the 500,000 we sent merely to oust Saddam from Kuwait in Gulf War I. Something like 90 percent of the bombs and missiles we use are "precision guided" today, versus roughly 10 percent back in 1991. The catalogue of how today's military is smarter, faster and better than it was back during Desert Storm is a credit to U.S. ingenuity and a source of national pride.

Hmm. Let's see. Between 1992 and 2003, the person who was president for the bulk of that time was... Bill Clinton. It's true that President Bush has been throwing money at the Pentagon since Sept. 11, but defense planners will tell you that none of the impressive leaps in our military capability have taken place suddenly in the last 18 months.

No, much as it must incense Rush Limbaugh and Tom DeLay, we are liberating Iraq with Bill Clinton's military. The same Bill Clinton, of course, who, as conservative myth has it, "gutted" and "hollowed out" our fighting forces - that is, when he wasn't busy shredding the moral fabric of the country, his first priority.

What should we make of this fact?

The main truth it underscores is how divorced the defense debate is from real life. The myth that Democrats are "weak on defense" and the GOP is "strong" is one that Democratic strategists have struggled with for years.

The reality is that Bill Clinton's defense budgets roughly tracked the blueprint left by then-defense secretary Dick Cheney in 1992. Clinton insisted the Pentagon maintain a Cold War budget even without a Cold War to protect his party's right flank. For the same reason, Al Gore called for bigger defense budgets during the 2000 campaign than did George W. Bush - a fact that almost no one recalls. Gore needed to "prove" his "toughness" on defense with dollars. Bush didn't have to - as a Republican, he was simply more trusted on the issue.

Indeed, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld's laudable initial aim was to reform the Pentagon in Nixon-to-China fashion, as only Republicans can. Yet Rumsfeld had hit a storm of bureaucratic, congressional and interest group opposition by September 2001. In the wake of 9/11, therefore, Bush and Rumsfeld decided that reform was a luxury; better to throw money at everything, they reasoned, since the public would support it and worry about rationality later.

Beyond the U.S. military's peerless firepower and skill, however, this spending spree masks dramatic waste and disorganization that cries out for attention. As one Bush cabinet official told me privately, "Not too far down the road, Rumsfeld will get back on the track of rationalizing defense spending so that it doesn't go into a runaway mode."

That reform agenda is for another day - for now, it's time to celebrate the extraordinary courage and accomplishments of our troops. To be sure, the risks and dangers they face in Iraq aren't over - and America's responsibility to help Iraqis build their own future has only begun.

Still, this milestone is indisputably historic.

Yes, Tommy Franks and Donald Rumsfeld and their teams deserve enormous credit, and President Bush's steely resolve may give even Jacques Chirac a secret shiver of apres-war doubt.

But all the same, I hope all honest Americans - and I know that includes you, Rush and Tom - join me in toasting the unrivaled capabilities of the military that Bill Clinton handed off to his successor.

Columnist Matt Miller is a senior fellow at Occidental College in Los Angeles and host of "Left, Right & Center" on KCRW-FM in Los Angeles. E-mail him at mattino@worldnet.att.net.

[baseballmom]

This is being talked about today on our talk radio WPHT 1210, Philadelphia, "The Big Talker". Michael Smerconish had on as his guest, Captain David Christian, who thoroughly debunked this myth.

He related a story about his time in the Clinton administration. He had just returned from the Middle East on a fact finding mission relating to terrorism. He was called in by superiors, and told that what he was working on wasn't of the utmost importance. He would now be working on video piracy. That was the new high priority. A true story.

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[breakem]

I thought this was a piece from The Onion!

[misterrob]

Uh, Wasn't William Cohen the Sec. of Defense during a good chuck of the Clinton administration?

REPUBLICAN I believe....

[baseballmom]

I thought you might enjoy this drivel from the StinkyInky today.

[mabelkitty]

And it's being laughed at all over ours.

Everybody with half a brain can google that there was unprecedented military enlistments right after 9/11.

[Porterville]

HAAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHA; The Left Self-Destructs once again.

[el_texicano]

"I thought this was a piece from The Onion!"

No, this is purely a "piece" of Sh*t. Nothing more than Klintoon legacy building attempts.

[TruthFactor]

I think the appropriate phrase to use here is, "in spite of".

[3AngelaD]

If there is any blame or credit to be divvied up here, it should go to Congress. Go back and read the transcripts of the endless defense appropriations subcommittees' meetings during the Clinton administration and see who was asking for what. We all know what the Clintons did to the military and no amount of revisionist BS can change that. The guy who wrote this article is propagating a big lie, perhaps on behalf of Mrs. Clinton's future political ambitions.

[sirshackleton]

Military hardware doesn't plan and execute campaigns....and last I check ol' Bubba wasn't Commander-in-Chief.

[ThinkDifferent]

He was called in by superiors, and told that what he was working on wasn't of the utmost importance. He would now be working on video piracy.

I thought I had heard that somewhere, thanks for the info. Not at all surprising given Hollywood's adoration of x42.

[aimhigh]

Note that the article fails to mention any Clinton initiative that bolstered the military. The military accomplishments were in spite of Clinton, not because of him. The congress at that time prevented Clinton from dismantling the military.

[Natural Law]

This drivel shouldn't confuse anyone. The dems are desperate to spin the Bush successes just like they took credit for Reagan / Bush economy. They have always been like the roosters who take credit for the sun coming up in the morning.

[Oldeconomybuyer]

I don't think our military success has much to do with budgets and politics during previous administrations. The plan was based on clear military objectives established by the civilian authority in the Pentagon and approved by President Bush, who then let Gen. Franks execute the plan.

[rj45mis]

"The myth that Democrats are "weak on defense" and the GOP is "strong" is one that Democratic strategists have struggled with for years."

Matt, this is no myth and that is precisely why the Democratic strategists have struggled with the fact.

[RooRoobird14]

Help me understand this, whiny leftists:

Clinton gets "credit" for the military two years out of office (and Bush doesn't); Bush gets blamed for the economy the first day he takes office. How does that work?

Hmmmmmmm...........?

Oh yeah, that's right I forgot...you guys just make sh*t up, depending on whatever daily talking points CarVILE and BUGala fax you...........

[Steve_Seattle]

It is interesting that Miller didn't write this column until the statue toppled.

[MACVSOG68]

Let me get this straight. The military successes must be clinton's doing, but Enron, the economy, etc must be President Bush's responsibility? Riiiight!

[Packer Pete]

Barf Alert please!

[Free_at_last_-2001]

"the clinton military"

[RooRoobird14]

James Woosley (former CIA director) is also on record corroborating the video piracy story about Clinton. That was one of the reasons he resigned from the CIA.

[antaresequity]

The reality is that Bill Clinton's defense budgets roughly tracked the blueprint left by then-defense secretary Dick Cheney in 1992

Ummm...I love it when the Clinton bootlickers throw themselves on their own swords

[rj45mis]

The guy who wrote this article is propagating a big lie, perhaps on behalf of Mrs. Clinton's future political ambitions.

Well said and quite insightful, methinks.

[the_Watchman]

Actually, this whole war can be laid at Clinton's feet. He was the President who decided that we should not talk about terrorists states anymore. Instead, we would chastise the terrorist organizations directly. Unfortunately, this left the host nations for these terrorist organizations with no responsibility.

Worse yet, when we went after the terrorist organizations we wound up bombing aspirin factories and empty terrorist camps and WE WERE VIOLATING THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THE HOST NATIONS.

President Bush has put us back on track with the notion of a terrorist state being one which hosts terrorist organizations. He has served notice on all states that there will be consequences for hosting terrorist activities within their borders. This message was costly to deliver and took a couple of wars for proper emphasis because of the 8 years of misdirection and half-hearted actions which made us look like inneffective wimps.

[steve-b]

The record of "Bill Clinton's military" was written in the sands of Mogadishu. End of argument.

[Normal4me]

So now we are killing innocent Iraqi woman and children with "Democrat" hardware? How does Dashole feel about this?

[arielb]

this idiot doesn't realize that a Republican congress was in charge of defense spending. Clinton was afraid to use it in Somalia (no armor), Kosovo (no ground force or Apaches), or Afghanistan (just a bunch of cruise missiles which failed to remove al qaeda/taliban). You need presidential leadership to do whatever it takes, as much as it takes to finish the job. Bush is doing it while Clinton failed

[Semper Paratus]

Next we are going to hear that the Iraqi War Plan was conceived and written by WC in 98.

[gnarledmaw]

"Credit military success to Clinton's policies"

Theyre right on! Can you imagine what would have happened to the pain killer industry if all those Sudanese aspirins had ever gotten to market?!?!?!

[Irish Eyes]

I thought this was a piece from The Onion!

I thought so too I had to look again at the link to the article. It just shows you what sorts of disinformation is out there.

[amused]

Every leftist has been railing that Clinton isn;t responsible for anything in the last 2 years including the economy, 9-11, the Iraq situation etc. Now they want credit for him.

Ahhh the Clinton way, grab credit for success no matter your participation and blame someone else for your failures.

[Stopislamnow]

The left feeds thier children baby formula laced with LSD and crack.

It's the ONLY possible thing to explain it.

[Gil4]

The problem with Clintoon and the military wasn't the lack of spending - liberals know how to spend money. The problem was he kept confusing the military with the peace corps.

Also, wasn't there a major shortage of cruise missiles that was rectified after he left office. The shortage was created because his favorite tactic was "to fire a $2 million missile at a $10 empty tent and hit a camel in the butt." (to borrow a quote from the current holder of the office)

[gov_bean_ counter]

The writer of this article is completely clueless regarding the procurement process, milestones and weapons production phases. Eighteen months is more than long enough to take a shelved prototype through testing and production.

The real analysis would be in taking a look at shelved designs. I'm betting that great ideas were dusted off and pushed through the system.

[baseballmom]

Captain David Christian worked for Presidents Ford, Carter (was fired by Carter), Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and Bush.

He ticked off the military apparatus we are using and most of it can be traced directly to Ronald Reagan's term. The B-52 is more than 50 years old and keeps getting re-outfitted (if that is the proper term).

This guy is a Clinton Legacy Burnisher.

[GreatOne]

This idiot omits (ignores) that the morale of the military is another huge factor in its present success. I have two brothers who are active duty U.S.A.F., both Majors. They were very close to quitting, along with a great number of their comrades, while The Evil One was still president, and would have if Algore had won.

The military had a huge leadership crisis during Bubba's 2nd term, because a large number of the Captains bailed out rather than serve under him. Write about THAT, Evil One suck-up!

[Billthedrill]

Funny, I didn't see Clinton's ugly phiz under a helmet in the lead tank. I'm thinking we ought to reserve just a little credit for the victory for the guys who fought it.

Let's see...Clinton..."loathe the military," right? First act in office was to cut retirement benefits, right? Used the military as political spoils for his gay and lesbian constituents, right? "Those are ours now," one of his aids said, looking at a flight of fighters, right? Wife ordered Marines to carry her suitcases and cursed at them, right? "I don't speak to people in uniform" said another aide, right? "Meals on wheels" in Haiti, right? Mogadishu, right? Yeah, tell me about Clinton and the military...

[dfwgator]

Bill Clinton himself said the same thing a few weeks before the war even started, that it was his policies that were going to make this an easy war in Iraq. It's always about him.

[dfwgator]

Bill Clinton's approach to war was bombing aspirin factories and cardboard tanks.

[raybo]

I've got 26 years in the USAF and I can tell you that Bill Clit had nothing to do wiht it. He was loathed

[CyberAnt]

Besides, it was the REPUBLICAN HOUSE in 1994 that succeeded in keeping x42 from gutting the military.

[cyncooper]

This talking point regarding the Iraq mission started being spread last night. The fax machine was buzzing evidently.

I distinctly recall that when Afghanistan was proven not to be a quagmire,this VERY SAME talking point emerged then!

Nobody bought it then, and certainly nobody will buy it now. It is insane!

One needs the brainpower to maneuver the military assets, and there isn't a single person in the clinton administration that possessed the wisdom or courage to wield the military force and make the decisions required to pull off this victory that squarely rests with George W. Bush AND those he chose to lead us.

[uncbob]

I posted that this is what would happen just after the war began

Only I said it would be Clinton that would make the statement

[bert]

"in spite of".....

or perhaps "clandestine"

[Rippin]

The most important dimension of military preparedness that can be greatly affect by a commander in chief in a short period of time must be morale. Now maybe we could take a survey about morale 3 years ago and morale now?

[Tribune7]

That paper is going to be gone in 5 years. Nobody reads it.

[antaresequity]

Matt Miller,

Credit Clinton?

It was a Republican congress that appropriated the funding and directed the spending despite Clinton’s effort to dismantle the military.

The middle management corp of the military hated Clinton…moral was at an all time low..and mass defection was the order of the day.

The reason we succeed is moral. Bush is responsible for returning moral to the American Military..his clearly superior morale character fuels the military moral.

And as you so adeptly point out in your article: “The reality is that Bill Clinton's defense budgets roughly tracked the blueprint left by then-defense secretary Dick Cheney in 1992”. Who's military is it? Dick Cheney's

Lastly: The myth that Democrats are "weak on defense" and the GOP is "strong" is one that Democratic strategists have struggled with for years. It's not a MYTH.

You leftist apologists make me sick...Especially when you have neither the knowledge nor skill of how the military actually operates.

Why don't you go down to your nearest military base and ask a soldier or an officer what he thinks of your 'Bill Clintons Military' theory. Wear your running shoes; you may need them.

Regards

[raybo]

I was close to getting out but I didn't want that idiot's signature on my retirement papers.

[mystery-ak]

Let's see, the rapist's military...officers, pilots, senior NCO's left in droves, because they despised him...my hubby's Chinook and Blackhawk companies cannibalized their aircraft for 6 years..screws from China that broke and grounded aircraft....My hubby was gonna retire in 2000, but stayed when Bush was elected.....yeah, that's the rapist's military.