Posted on 07/19/2004 8:13:45 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
Edwards’ Votes Are Moderate On Military
By William Matthews
On the question of a pay raise for U.S. troops, Sen. John Edwards voted yes. On research for a new generation of nuclear weapons, he voted no. On the use of military force against Iraq, Edwards voted yes in 2002 while 23 other senators voted no. And this year he voted to add 20,000 troops to the Army.
Edwards, the Democrats’ candidate for vice president, has been labeled the fourth-most liberal member of the U.S. Senate by his Republican rivals, but his voting record on military matters over five years in the Senate is more moderate.
Opposed Base Closings
The North Carolina senator has opposed base closings — not surprising since the state that sent him to Congress hosts a half dozen major military bases. In the spring of 2003, he supported President George W. Bush’s request for $79.5 billion to pay for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
However, like his running mate, Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., Edwards voted “no” six months later on Bush’s request for another $86.5 billion to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan operations in 2004.
At the time, Edwards said he voted against the funding bill because the president “has failed to outline a credible long-term plan for rebuilding the country, failed to persuade allies to help shoulder the costs, and failed to stop sweetheart deals for politically connected companies.
“I believe we have a responsibility to support our troops in Iraq,” Edwards said. “I believe we have a responsibility to help rebuild Iraq. But our troops will not be safer and this mission will never be successful unless the president dramatically changes course.”
‘Flip Flopper’
President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have used Kerry’s vote on the $86.5 billion supplemental — first he voted for it, but later he voted against it — to bash Kerry as a “flip flopper.”
Three times since he entered the Senate in 1999, Edwards has voted to go slow on missile defenses. In 1999, in 2002 and again this year, he voted not to spend about $10 billion a year to deploy warhead interceptors until they have been proven to work.
Support for missile defense has become something of a loyalty test among Republicans.
Early in his single six-year Senate term, Edwards’ voting record on military issues was that of a “Southern moderate,” said John Isaacs, president of the Council for a Livable World, an arms control organization in Washington. Edwards generally supported military budgets and defense initiatives.
Voting Record Gets More Liberal
Edwards’ voting became more liberal after he decided in 2003 to run for president and began trying to appeal to thte Democrats who were likely to be voting in primary elections, according to Isaacs and other analysts.
That shift led to the “fourth-most liberal” label.
In February, the National Journal, a magazine devoted to politics, analyzed 62 Senate votes covering a wide variety of issues in 2003 and rated senators from liberal to conservative.
From the left, Kerry was first, followed by Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Edwards
"Moderate on the Military" is not a compliment.
These guys and gals deserve every bit of support, from equipment to pay to respect, that the American people can muster.
Going part of the way just isn't good enough.
When these folks are laying their very lives on the line for the rest of us, they have to KNOW we're behind 'em ALL the way.
Only when put in juxtaposition to his new boss's positions.
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