John McCain as you all know has a long record on the Armed Service Committee, but has it escaped notice that his zeal to cut costs while the US Military is engaged in two different conflicts this tactic may seem somewhat unwise, not to mention it seems to run contrary to his notion that he is a staunch supporter of the Military. Lets take a look at his more recent measures shall we.
1. Killed the KC-767 Tanker deal in 2003, due to allegations of mismanagement on the part of the DoD. Called for and received a new round of bidding between Boeing and EADS/Northrop that has since been called into question because of the number of EADS insiders involved in the selection process.
2. According to lobbying records filed with the Senate, Loeffler Group lobbyists on the project included Loeffler and Susan Nelson, who left the firm and is now the campaign's finance director. The Ogilvy lobbyist John Green, who was assigned the EADS work, recently took a leave of absence to volunteer for McCain as the campaign's congressional liaison.
McCain advisers lobbied in EADS tanker deal - International Herald Tribune
3. With a toughly worded rebuke to the Navy, the Senate Armed Services Committee has slashed funding for the troubled littoral combat ship program to barely half of what the Bush administration requested for the 2008 fiscal year that begins in October. Committee's decision, though not final, could affect future production of Navy vessel at Mobile Austal shipyard. The Armed Service Committee John McCain has used this as a campaign issue.
4. Facing strong resistance, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and three other senators plan to introduce an amendment to the $268 billion defense authorization bill on Wednesday that would create a commission to close more military bases across the nation.
Senate to consider continuing base closings | Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City) | Find Articles at BNET
5. The Navy considered closing four small training and maintenance installations, three in the San Francisco Bay area, Mr. Dalton said. But such a recommendation, with a loss of 1,720 civilian and military jobs, combined with the impact of previous closings, would have meant a combined loss for California of about 30,000 jobs. Still, those concerns were not enough to save the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, leading to the direct loss of 4,058 jobs as well as 9,248 jobs not directly affiliated with the yard.
California Job Loss Affected Base Closing List - New York Times
6. The Air Force is contemplating about cutting its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) acquisition program by 600 or more aircraft in order to be able to redirect the funds to other requirements. The Air Force might jettison up to 700 copies of the JSF in exchange for more F-22A Raptors and more money for urgent priorities such as a new aerial refueling tanker. Sen. John McCain warned the top Air Force officials to make tough choices and reduce costs in terms of acquisition spending. (Air Force Times)
In short it seems clear that John McCains claim to be a friend of the U.S. Military seems somewhat suspect based on his willingness to cut programs at the drop of a hat. With two different wars, being fought, and Don Rumsfelds original fight it on the cheap mentality it seems clear that John McCain was all to willing to cut and slash. What is clear is that we are fighting these two wars with Military hardware in some cases that is more than 40 years old and is desperate need of being replaced. While it is always good to protect the American taxpayer, one must temper that with the ability to provide the military with the best to get the job done. Barack Obamas record on the military is similar to John McCain when it comes to cutting programs. Both these men seem to think that it is okay to send our warriors to fight our wars with old hardware that is continually put together with hilbilly engineering. Its time we sent a message to both of these gentlemen that the American Military deserves the very best and it must be AMERICAN MADE!!!!!
1. Killed the KC-767 Tanker deal in 2003, due to allegations of mismanagement on the part of the DoD. Called for and received a new round of bidding between Boeing and EADS/Northrop that has since been called into question because of the number of EADS insiders involved in the selection process.
2. According to lobbying records filed with the Senate, Loeffler Group lobbyists on the project included Loeffler and Susan Nelson, who left the firm and is now the campaign's finance director. The Ogilvy lobbyist John Green, who was assigned the EADS work, recently took a leave of absence to volunteer for McCain as the campaign's congressional liaison.
McCain advisers lobbied in EADS tanker deal - International Herald Tribune
3. With a toughly worded rebuke to the Navy, the Senate Armed Services Committee has slashed funding for the troubled littoral combat ship program to barely half of what the Bush administration requested for the 2008 fiscal year that begins in October. Committee's decision, though not final, could affect future production of Navy vessel at Mobile Austal shipyard. The Armed Service Committee John McCain has used this as a campaign issue.
4. Facing strong resistance, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and three other senators plan to introduce an amendment to the $268 billion defense authorization bill on Wednesday that would create a commission to close more military bases across the nation.
Senate to consider continuing base closings | Journal Record, The (Oklahoma City) | Find Articles at BNET
5. The Navy considered closing four small training and maintenance installations, three in the San Francisco Bay area, Mr. Dalton said. But such a recommendation, with a loss of 1,720 civilian and military jobs, combined with the impact of previous closings, would have meant a combined loss for California of about 30,000 jobs. Still, those concerns were not enough to save the Long Beach Naval Shipyard, leading to the direct loss of 4,058 jobs as well as 9,248 jobs not directly affiliated with the yard.
California Job Loss Affected Base Closing List - New York Times
6. The Air Force is contemplating about cutting its F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) acquisition program by 600 or more aircraft in order to be able to redirect the funds to other requirements. The Air Force might jettison up to 700 copies of the JSF in exchange for more F-22A Raptors and more money for urgent priorities such as a new aerial refueling tanker. Sen. John McCain warned the top Air Force officials to make tough choices and reduce costs in terms of acquisition spending. (Air Force Times)
In short it seems clear that John McCains claim to be a friend of the U.S. Military seems somewhat suspect based on his willingness to cut programs at the drop of a hat. With two different wars, being fought, and Don Rumsfelds original fight it on the cheap mentality it seems clear that John McCain was all to willing to cut and slash. What is clear is that we are fighting these two wars with Military hardware in some cases that is more than 40 years old and is desperate need of being replaced. While it is always good to protect the American taxpayer, one must temper that with the ability to provide the military with the best to get the job done. Barack Obamas record on the military is similar to John McCain when it comes to cutting programs. Both these men seem to think that it is okay to send our warriors to fight our wars with old hardware that is continually put together with hilbilly engineering. Its time we sent a message to both of these gentlemen that the American Military deserves the very best and it must be AMERICAN MADE!!!!!
