Kerry picks fight on Bush territory: Foreign policy

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/president/2004-03-08-kerry-foreign-policy_x.htm

WASHINGTON — The first skirmishes between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry are unfolding on the only turf on which Bush has an advantage: foreign affairs, the Iraq war and terrorism. snip

The focus on foreign policy is unusual and potentially risky. Asked whether economic conditions or terrorism would be more important to their vote this fall, 65% in the survey said economic conditions, and only 26% said terrorism. snip

Bush took a pointed jab at Kerry on Monday at a fundraising lunch in Dallas. He accused Kerry of trying to cut the intelligence budget by $1.5 billion in 1995, two years after the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, a bombing that killed six. "He's for good intelligence, yet he was willing to gut the intelligence services. And that is no way to lead a nation in a time of war," Bush said.

The Kerry proposal would have cut intelligence by $300 million a year — about 1% of the CIA's budget at the time — for five years. The Kerry campaign said the intelligence budget had been discovered at that time to contain a "secret billion-dollar slush fund ... which served as a full-employment opportunity for defense contractors." Kerry has supported a 50% increase in intelligence spending since 1996, the campaign said.

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[freeforall]

1. Hmm! And what did Bush cut?

Let's see - social security, money for veterans, education, medicare.... And, if I remember correctly, he also cut money to Homeland Security!

What an a$$hole!

[City Lights]

2. The cheese.

:evilgrin:

[Crachet2004]

3. I just don't see how that fool, Bush, can run on Foreign Policy.

He has pissed off the entire planet! What kind of policy is that? You can't fight the whole world...I don't care who you are-not and win.

We need to kick the War habit...and get rid of the War pResident.

[Room101]

4. Kerry needs to bring up the "TRILLION" dollars missing from DOD

.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Oh, yeah...Junior has done a wonderful job in foreign policy...

...countries that hated us hate us even more; countries with whom we were once allied have grown to distrust us; and we're in two wars in the Middle East that most countries tried to warn us to stay out.

If creating hate and discontent was Junior's primary foreign policy goal, then he has succeeded far beyond his wildest dreams.

[Chicago Democrat]

6. Bush is vulnerable on Foreign Policy

Bush has made a mess of foreign policy.

[readmylips]

7. Little bush has united the world...

against the US. Great leader, great brave man, great satan.

[sandnsea]

8. A 1% cut???

They're having a stink over a 1% cut?? They are really desperate. They have even less than I thought they did! This is going to be a GREAT YEAR!!!

[Gunit_Sangh]

9. re: 1% cut

I seem to remember reading that Arlen Specter (R) was a co-author of that bill and the reason they wanted to re-claim the money is that 1.5 billion was appropriated for a spy satellite that was never built.

Does anybody else know about this?

[Whoa_Nelly]

13. Good call, Gunit_Sangh!

NATIONAL RECONNAISSANCE OFFICE
Events & Coverage
1994 - 1995


<snip>
Pincus, Walter. "A Highflier, but Still Mired in the Cold War" Washington Post National Weekly Edition, 15-21 Aug. 1994, 34.

"The disclosure that the government's ultra-secret spy satellite agency tried to hide construction of a lavish new headquarters building is likely to increase congressional and public scrutiny of a $7 billion operation that critics say has not adapted to the Cold War's end."

<snip>
Pincus, Walter.
"Spy Agency Hoards Secret $1 Billion; Satellite Managers Did Not Tell Supervisors of Classified 'Pot of Gold,' Hill Sources Say." Washington Post, 24 Sep. 1995, A1, A22. "The $1 Billion in the Spy Satellite Agency Cookie Jar." Washington Post National Weekly Edition, 2-8 Oct. 1995, 31.

"The discovery that the NRO had been able to "salt away" unspent funds totalling more than $1 billion is causing some concern in Congress about the ability of intelligence agencies to use their secret status to avoid accountability."

<snip>
Pear, Robert. "Disclosure of Spy Agency's $1.5 Billion Fund Leads to Shake-Up." New York Times, 25 Sep. 1995, A12 (N).

DCI Deutch has "appointed a new chief financial officer" for the NRO, and "ordered the agency to document its practices for handling money. He also ordered a thorough review of the agency's budget."

http://intellit.muskingum.edu/nro_folder/nro94-95.html

[0007]

10. 1.5 billion is what to 420 billion?

Seems less than 1% to me.

If this is all junior can find to fight about, then the fights over!!

[Enraged_Ape]

11. That headline is the biggest crap-your-pants laffer of the year

If Bush's strongest point is supposedly foreign policy, then he's going to go down like the Japanese carrier fleet at Midway come November.

[matcom]

12. I READ IN TIME THAT CHENEY BACKED THE CUT TOO

i do believe. don't have it in front of me here at work. if someone wants to look it up, its near the front of the mag. there is a section where TIME takes a quote from Bush and a Quote from Kerry and 'Set's The Record Straight'

look it up. i THINK Cheney was all for it as well