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Posted on 07/02/2008 8:04:10 PM PDT by Free ThinkerNY
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain wants the U.S. military to be much larger than current expansion plans envision, an adviser to the Arizona senator said this week.
The Bush administration has begun expanding the U.S. Army and Marine Corps to create a combined strength of around 750,000 active duty troops -- a process backed by McCain's Democratic rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois.
But McCain believes an Army and Marine Corps with a combined strength of up to 900,000 troops is necessary, said Randy Scheunemann, an adviser to the candidate on foreign policy and national security.
"Sen. McCain feels the proposed increases are not sufficient. They need to be more, to fully address the challenges we face in the 21st century," Scheunemann told Reuters in a telephone interview.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Obama is in favor of increasing Army and Marine Corps stregths to 65,000 and 27,000, respectively? Really?
So, what is he planning to do with those extra bodies? Send them to hot spots where we already have troops, and then pull the same number out so he could tell his supporters that he has fulfilled his campaign promise of pulling troops out?
VETS PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO OUR ROLL CALL ROSTER AT:
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You're incorrect by over 100,000. The Corps hasn't been that large since WWII.
FY 1992 - ~185,000 Marines
FY 1993 - ~178,000 Marines
FY 1994 - ~174,000 Marines
FY 1995 - ~174,000 Marines
FY 1996 - ~175,000 Marines
FY 1997 - ~174,000 Marines
FY 1998 - ~173,000 Marines
FY 1999 - ~173,000 Marines
FY 2000 - ~173,000 Marines
FY 2001 - ~173,000 Marines
This (national defense) and the future make up of the Supreme Court are the only two reasons we need to stand behind John McCain.
How is McNuts going to pull it off? TAXES, lots and lots of TAXES. And making deals with a Democrat Super Majority in both Houses.
And of course, there is a Planet to save from Gorebull Warming you know......
And what, exactly, does McCain plan to cut funding for in order to finance this? Let’s see how serious he is. I’m not doubting the logic behind building up the military but we’re running a current deficit of several hundred billion per year. This plan will add tens of billions more to the defense budget. Will he finance this by increasing the deficit or will be finance this by cutting other programs?
Once was enough.
Thanks. I was pure guessing about the Marines....the Army I was pretty sure of.
We’ve had that many recently and all volunteers. You do it by enlisting more and keeping more. You do that by freeing up by keeping incentives high for the newbies and freeing up promotions & incentives for the others.
“He just opposed a Veteran benefit bill”
Wasn’t that the Democrats bill that discourged re-enlistment?
One would have thought that with all the guessing you get caught engaging in on religious threads you'd stop such behavior.
It only appears that way to you since we’re on opposite sides of the Catholic/Protestant debate.
But, that’s OK. I understand someone seeing things differently based on their own religion. I do the same thing.
I suppose McCain intends to pay for this by ending “tax cuts for the wealthy” as he did back in 2001.
Cut more tzxes.
McCain is what he is but he will do right by the troops. Damn wish he was conservative.
“I will never fall for political weasel”
The only reason you and the dems can use this attack on McCain is because Harry Reid didn’t allow a vote on the Republican bill, which gave incentive for re-enlistment and offered transferability to wives and spouses. The Webb Bill doesn’t do either.
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