Cheney's past defense cuts questioned

[imax2268]

Cheney's past defense cuts questioned
By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff | April 29, 2004

WASHINGTON -- Vice President Dick Cheney, who has been charging that John F. Kerry would be a dangerous commander-in-chief because he opposed many key weapons that the military now relies on, himself presided over the biggest cutbacks in defense programs in modern history when he was secretary of defense under the first President Bush.

As Pentagon chief from 1989 to 1993, Cheney canceled or cut back many of the same weapons programs -- bombers, fighter planes, tanks -- that he says Kerry tried to deprive the armed forces of.

Many of the Cheney-era cuts were made at the end of the Cold War, when the administration of President George H.W. Bush was seeking to reduce the size of the military and secure a ''peace dividend." But some of these downsizing efforts would have affected the military of today.

Cheney proposed, for instance, disbanding part of the Army's Fourth Infantry Division, Congressional Quarterly reported in 1989. Troops from that division captured former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein last December.

More here...

[Old and In the Way]

1. Numero Uno White Collar Criminal.

Really, they don't come any more corrupt than Dick. He was born without the ethical gene.

[Poiuyt]

2. The hypocrisy from this administration is unbelievable

I was so mad when I heard about Cheney criticizing Kerry for advocating the same cuts that Cheney was advocating. I guess they were hoping nobody would look up Cheney's past records. Of course at the start of W's administration, they were only interested in resurrecting the Star Wars program.

[NYCGirl]

3. I think they were counting on

the audience they were trying to reach with those ads NOT researching Cheney's (or anyone else's) past records.

[imax2268]

4. I guess Janeane was right today...

she said that they are counting on their base to believe the misleading to get them through this election...

What's really funny is that this other board I'm a member of...the Republicons were bashing Kerry left and right about this and when I posted this article...SILENCE...nothing...they won't say a word about it...it's typical...