Tanker lease, "Buy American" provisions collide in defense bill talks

[Tempest]

Tanker lease, "Buy American" provisions collide in defense bill talks

http://govexec.com/dailyfed/1003/103103cdam1.htm

Two of the most hotly contested defense proposals in Congress collided this week, as House and Senate conferees met to discuss a Senate proposal on Air Force refueling tankers in tandem with the possibility of reintroducing tougher limitations on foreign content in U.S. weapons systems in the fiscal 2004 defense authorization conference, congressional aides said.

House Armed Services Chairman Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., was expected to raise the possibility of reverting to a Sept. 10 version of a compromise agreement on "Buy American" legislation negotiated between Hunter and Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz with Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., and Commerce Committee Chairman John McCain, R-Ariz., in talks Thursday.

Top Bush administration officials initially snubbed the compromise, intended to dilute language in the House version of the bill. They said it would harm U.S. defense companies and isolate the United States from its closest allies.

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[denverbill]

1. Oh NO!!!

"isolate the United States from its closest allies."

Isolate us from Bulgaria??? Perish the thought!!!!

[Tempest]

2. Or any of the countries ending in "stan"

You know, the countries we're paying to be our allies.

[Gman]

3. We have allies?

No we don't.

[yellowcanine]

4. Poland and Honduras, I believe.

Bush, Cheney, Rummy, Condi, and Colin said so. They couldn't all be lying - could they?