Romney Blames Obama For Bipartisan Military Spending Cuts

[Galraedia]

Last edited Mon May 21, 2012, 12:18 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: ThinkProgress

In a new op-ed in the Chicago Tribune ahead of the NATO meetings today in the Second City, Mitt Romney attacked President Obama, claiming he hasn’t showed sufficient American leadership in the Atlantic Alliance because of the administration’s cuts in military spending:

Last year, President Obama signed into law a budget scheme that threatens to saddle the U.S. military with nearly $1 trillion in cuts over the next 10 years. President Obama’s own defense secretary, Leon Panetta, has called cuts of this magnitude “devastating” to our national security. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has plainly said that such a reduction means “we would not any longer be a global power.” Despite these warnings, the Obama administration has pledged to veto an attempt to replace these cuts with savings in other areas. [...]

With the United States on a path to a hollow military, we are hardly in a position to exercise leadership in persuading our allies to spend more on security. And in fact the Obama administration has failed to exercise such leadership. Quite the contrary; a multiplier effect has set in: The administration’s irresponsible defense cuts are clearing the way for our partners to do even less.

There’s one major flaw in Romney’s argument: Obama alone is not responsible for the $1 trillion in military spending reductions over the next decade. The Obama administration did usher in nearly $500 billion in cuts over the next decade, but those cuts — contrary to Romney’s suggestion — have “real buy in” from the military’s top brass, as Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said. Panetta supports the cuts too, saying the U.S. will still have “the capability to confront and defeat more than one adversary at a time.”

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/05/20/487290/romney-obama-military-sequester/

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[creeksneakers2]

1. Romney lies again

Obama would consider restoring the cuts if the restoration was offset with acceptable cuts elsewhere or tax increases.

[goclark]

4. Lies again and again and agin

I cant recall anything that he has ever said that makes sense.

Please everone, GET OUT The VOTE!

[Angry Dragon]

2. I have an easy solution

The rich like Willard can ask to have their taxes raised to 70% so they could rest easy with a well funded military

They have the money to do it but don't feel that they should pay for it

[PatrynXX]

3. better solution

have a witch give him the Pinocchio treatment. his nose might break off..

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

5. Mitt who fought the Vietnam war in a Paris mansion.

Time to move into the 21st century Willard.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

6. Romney is desperate

[Grassy Knoll]

7. RMoney will do his best to start a war in Iran....

If America elects this Bush III.
Obama 2012-Forward

[Wellstone ruled]

8. Willard the "RAT" speaks

more rat crap out his trap. Yes Granny,this guy is for real. To think,this has five spawn,male version of Babs the Bush.

[cstanleytech]

9. It wasnt a scheme, a scheme is reaming the american people for hundreds of billions more

in defense than China, Russia, France and the UK combined are spending.
A scheme is being two faced and agreeing with across the board cuts over which you secretly have no intention of honoring!!

[The Wizard]

10. We spend more than the rest of civilization

on defense/war and 19 guys with box cutters brought us to our knees. We're being robbed by defense contractors and the legislators on their payrolls. Cutting military spending in half would be a good start toward bringing down the debt the repubes are always carping about.

[cstanleytech]

11. Agree. But of course the republicans will whine that

if defense is cut it will hurt the economy which imo is complete bs as the money could and should be redirected to infrastructure like roads, dams not to mention building new schools and hiring more teachers.

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. "Americans overwhelmingly favor big defense cuts"

With annual budget deficits now routinely topping $1 trillion, a majority of Americans favor cutting defense spending, according to a new survey.

The survey, conducted by the Center for Public Integrity, the Program for Public Consultation and the Stimson Center, shows that 90% of Democrats and 67% of Republicans want less spending at the Pentagon.

According to the survey, in which respondents were told about the size of the budget as well as shown expert arguments for and against spending cuts, two-thirds of Republicans and nine in 10 Democrats supported making immediate cuts — a position at odds with the leaderships of both political parties.

The average total cut was around $103 billion, a substantial portion of the current $562 billion base defense budget, while the majority supported cutting it at least $83 billion. These amounts both exceed a threatened cut of $55 billion at the end of this year under so-called "sequestration" legislation passed in 2011, which Pentagon officials and lawmakers alike have claimed would be devastating.

Read more: http://economy.money.cnn.com/2012/05/10/americans-overwhelmingly-favor-big-defense-cuts/?iid=HP_LN

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014118422

There's such a good case to be made for large defense cuts, that people, including a majority of Republicans, will support when it's explained, that I think the Democrats should stand up and say "these cuts should go through whatever else we decide - they're the least we should do".

[jimmydwight]

13. When he makes a public statement, it makes no

difference whether it is true or false. The Repubs will eat it up and believe it. Unfortunately, facts are not important with them.

[grantcart]

14. With the collapse of communism a lot and I mean a lot of Republicans

want to see the defense spending go down.

They don't talk about it.

This is another situation in which anybody that is already worried about it isn't going to vote for Obama but that independents are now less likely to vote for Romney.