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The Clinton Army: [Rebuttal to] Left Claims Clinton Helped Military
NewsMax ^ | 11 April 2003 | Charles R. Smith

Posted on 04/11/2003 3:22:22 PM PDT by Stultis

Left Claims Clinton Helped Military

There are times that spin masters on the left get their facts so twisted that they end up looking like fools. It has been suggested by several spinners in Democrat Party ranks that it is "Bill Clinton's military" that is currently winning the war in Iraq.

The facts show that Bill Clinton halted military development, wasted critical weapons and allowed our forces to become dangerously weak.

No major weapon system was ever introduced during the Clinton years. In fact, many weapons systems were delayed or denied adequate funding.

No Patriot Here

For example, the Patriot missile was not improved during the Clinton years. The repeated pleas of U.S. military leaders that we needed some means to protect ourselves from the ballistic missile threat fell on deaf ears inside the Clinton White House.

Proposed upgrades to the Patriot were not tested, delayed or canceled by the Clinton administration in its feverish attempt to salvage the obsolete ABM treaty with the former Soviet Union. American national security came second to the wishes of Moscow.

The facts show that the Clinton administration traded and sold advanced U.S. military missile technology to China while denying funding to U.S. anti-missile systems that can counter the ballistic missile threat.

George Bush canceled the ABM treaty and immediately funded the Patriot PAC III program. However, events in the Middle East outpaced the frantic effort to ready the Patriot for war.

The war in Iraq forced the Bush administration to put Patriot PAC III into service without a formal testing regime. The PAC III has performed its job, protecting Kuwait and our troops from over a dozen Iraqi ballistic missiles.

Yet two Coalition aircraft have also been downed by the untested Patriot, an RAF Tornado and a U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet. Clearly, if the Clinton administration had allowed Patriot to be tested, the friendly fire incidents could have been avoided.

Clinton Missed the Target

The Clinton administration frequently misused, micromanaged and wasted advanced military weapon systems. Critics of the Clinton administration often cite the failed Tomahawk cruise missile strikes at a Sudanese aspirin factory and poorly targeted missile strikes at empty caves in Afghanistan.

USAF officials confirmed that the President Clinton had a history of bungling missile strikes, in particular targeting the Air Launched Cruise Missile (ALCM) by micromanagement from the Oval Office.

One specific example cited was the unsuccessful 1996 Desert Strike operation where USAF ALCMs with fragmentary warheads were incorrectly targeted on hardened Iraq bunkers on White House orders.

The White House bypassed the USAF Air Combat Command (ACC) and directly ordered B-52s to fire the ALCMs at a hardened Iraqi air defense command bunker. The frag warheads exploded harmlessly outside the Iraq bunker, causing no damage.

The Iraq bunker was destroyed later by a second, follow-on, strike of Navy Tomahawk missiles with conventional blast explosive warheads.

Bomb-Happy Clinton

President Clinton was frequently criticized in Congress and the Pentagon for being "bomb happy. " Clinton's policy of bombing with high-tech weapons rapidly used up critical U.S. military inventories. The shortages, according to DOD officials, were a direct result of Clinton's Defense budget shortfalls for the hard-pressed U.S. military.

According to Defense planners, the most critical shortfall was in Air Launched Cruise Missiles. In late 1998, Boeing was contracted by the USAF to convert the final remaining 130 nuclear-tipped AGM-86B missiles into conventional "Bunker Buster" ALCMs with 2,000-pound warheads.

The U.S. used about 330 Tomahawk cruise missiles and 90 ALCMs during Desert Fox strikes – now known as the "Monica Storm" campaign. All the USAF-launched ALCMs were Block 1 types equipped with heavy conventional warheads for bunker busting. In addition, 230 laser-guided bombs were used and about 250 dumb "iron" Mk. 82 bombs.

According to recon results of Desert Fox, the cruise missile and laser bomb attacks left most of Iraqi air defenses intact.

Era of Delay and Decay

The Clinton administration proposed that the B-1 bomber be retired early. The very same B-1 that recently dropped four 2,000-pound bombs on a bunker where Saddam may have been having dinner.

The Clinton administration delayed the Global Hawk, the Predator, the GPS-guided bomb systems and the Long Bow Apache, and wanted to trim the number of aircraft carriers down to eight.

Many of the weapons that the U.S. should be fielding now are still in development because of Clinton delays and under-funding.

The Clinton administration delayed the V-22 Osprey, F-22 Raptor, the Joint Strike Fighter and the Comanche attack helicopter. In addition, the U.S. military is still trying to make up critical shortages in the Milstar space communications program.

The Air Force, Navy and Marines are also scrambling to make up critical shortages in air-refueling tankers, frequently cut out of the Clinton budget requests.

During the Clinton years, the U.S. military had to cut valuable training, live-fire exercises and flight hours in order to meet demanding deployment funding spent in Haiti and Kosovo.

In fact, the U.S. Air Force had to turn to the United Arab Emirates in order to upgrade the F-16 Fighting Falcon. The UAE agreed to purchase advanced versions of the F-16 that the USAF could not afford. The UAE export funded further development of the F-16, which eventually made its way into the U.S. Air Force inventory.

Bill Clinton never helped the U.S. military and often hurt American national security. It is an outright lie to claim that Bill Clinton has any responsibility for the current success in the desert of Iraq.


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: clinton; clintonlegacy; military; warlist
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1 posted on 04/11/2003 3:22:22 PM PDT by Stultis
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To: Stultis
Clinton helped clinton. Anything else is lies and b.s.
2 posted on 04/11/2003 3:27:31 PM PDT by Joe Boucher
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To: All
The king and queen of the free ride

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3 posted on 04/11/2003 3:28:54 PM PDT by Support Free Republic (Your support keeps Free Republic going strong!)
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To: Stultis
When confronted by spinners stating this,

Just laugh.

Upproriously.
4 posted on 04/11/2003 3:38:34 PM PDT by MonroeDNA (Communists & Socialists: They only survive through lies.)
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To: MonroeDNA
The current military is winning this war in spite of Clinton's decimation of it.
5 posted on 04/11/2003 3:39:56 PM PDT by Mrs.Liberty ("Oh people, this is freedom! "...Liberated Iraqi man, 09 APR 2003)
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To: Stultis; madfly; Tailgunner Joe; Ernest_at_the_Beach
A thorough and stinging indictment.
6 posted on 04/11/2003 3:40:12 PM PDT by Carry_Okie (Because there are people in power who are truly evil.)
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To: Stultis
Bill Clinton is a rapist.
7 posted on 04/11/2003 3:41:00 PM PDT by Saundra Duffy
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To: Stultis
Clinton helped himself by selling the arms forces secrets for donation for his lie-bary and lots of other stuff.what he didn't sell he gave to the un and his gangerster buddies there.
8 posted on 04/11/2003 3:44:09 PM PDT by solo gringo (Always Ranting Always Rite)
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To: Stultis
To say that this is Clinton's military is laughable on its face. The military is more than equipment and technology. It is blood and guts and courage and sacrifice....and leadership that brings that out in others. Bush has it and Clinton does not. To compare Clinton to Bush is like comparing Pee Wee Herman to Joe Torre of the Yankees....there is no comparison.
9 posted on 04/11/2003 3:44:54 PM PDT by irish4
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To: All; Stultis; Fred Mertz; VOA; Vetnet; Joy Angela; conservogirl; Joe 6-pack; Angelwood; ...
...Time to ask yourself...

...why isn't Friend of HILLARY...

...TOM BROKAW...

...reporting all this to US...

...while still telling US on TV...

...that there was a Massacre of Civilians...

...at the Bridge of NO GUN RI...

...by our U.S. 7th Cavalry...

...during the Korean War...

...when there really NEVER was..?


Just ask HILLARY RODHAM, who now sits on our U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee overseeing our U.S. Military in Time of War.



Signed:..ALOHA RONNIE Guyer / Vet-U.S. 7th Cavalry's Opening Days of the Vietnam War 1965-66

http://www.LZXRAY.com/guyer_collection.htm
(Photos)
10 posted on 04/11/2003 3:46:46 PM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.LZXRAY.com ..,)
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To: Stultis
Charlie Smith has a fascinating site:

-Softwar!--

11 posted on 04/11/2003 3:47:55 PM PDT by backhoe (Just an old keyboard cowboy, ridin' the trackball into the sunset...)
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To: Stultis; All
.."IS it SAFE?" = HILLARY on Armed Services Committee..

http://www.TheAlamoFILM.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=629
12 posted on 04/11/2003 3:49:39 PM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.LZXRAY.com ..,)
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To: irish4
Personally... I'm very glad that although I was commissioned by Xlinton, I carried a rifle for real under President Bush.
13 posted on 04/11/2003 3:52:52 PM PDT by Terabitten (Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of All Who Threaten It)
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To: Stultis
I ate bananas in 2002. That's why we won in Iraq. It makes as much sense as Mr. Loathe-the-Military saving us all.

Another ploy of liberals is to claim, "Well, at least Bill Clinton didn't cripple the military like conservatives said he did."

It should be remembered that Congress was pushing the Administration during this time to keep military spending at adequate levels.

14 posted on 04/11/2003 3:53:54 PM PDT by JoeSchem
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To: Stultis
I loved it the other night when the forehead guy of Hannity and Colmes told Mike Reagan that it was Clintons army and that Pelosi has always supported the war in Iraq!

He sure must feel stupid given what Nancy Pelosi said (Again) today!

As Rush says if it was Clinton's army that gave us victory than was it Clinton's recession as well????? He put more enrgy into the economy than into the military.


15 posted on 04/11/2003 3:55:04 PM PDT by Kay Soze (For every 100 Osamas created in the fight on terrorism - we shall simply elect one more "W")
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To: ALOHA RONNIE; MonroeDNA
Its even simpler for me to explain; I just say to the moron spinners that the Military is so good now, (Iraq and Afghanistan) because they no longer have a commander in chief who hates them. A commander in chief who no longers lies, cheats and steals from them, one who sends them in Haiti to get shot being policemen. A Cand C who wouldnt even salute the Marines at the White House. Bill Clinton asa commander in chief was an insult to the American Military. He hated them. He cut their budget, he sent them to fight political wars. He was and still is the biggest asshole of president we ever had. Now that W is C in C, there is pride in the Military again, and the Clinton spinners can go to hell.
16 posted on 04/11/2003 4:00:52 PM PDT by cardinal4 (The Senate Armed Services Comm; the Chinese pipeline into US secrets)
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To: Stultis; Jimmy Valentine's brother; Angelwood; Joy Angela; conservogirl; goldilucky; abigail2; ...
.."IS it SAFE" = HILLARY on Armed Services Committee..

SIGN outside HILLARY's D.C. Mansion

http://community.webshots.com/photo/65188549/66260912yikSxd
17 posted on 04/11/2003 4:03:26 PM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.LZXRAY.com ..,)
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To: Stultis; cardinal4; All
...In Honor of our 7th Cavlary's...

...Rolling for Bagdhad...

...T'was US at the OSCARS =


http://www.tripflicks.com/pro/


Signed:..ALOHA RONNIE Guyer / Yellow Jacket Vet-U.S. 7th Cavalry's Opening Days of the Vietnam War 1965-66

http://www.LZXRAY.com/guyer_collection.htm
18 posted on 04/11/2003 4:13:05 PM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.LZXRAY.com ..,)
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To: Kay Soze


Isn't is true that the current deficits the Dems are whining about have been incurred in large part due to the necessity to rebuild our military and intelligence after 8 years of Clinton cuts?

Bubba "balanced the budget" with huge cuts to the Defense Department -( and creative accounting!!). The wealth of the 90s was phoney - just like our phoney sense of national security was during that time. People elected a phoney President and phoney results are what we got. But hey, "It's the economy, stupid".
19 posted on 04/11/2003 4:17:41 PM PDT by conservogirl
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To: cardinal4
NEVER FORGET


It's
Friends:
HILLARY RODHAM
BILL CLINTON
JOHN KERRY
WALTER CRONKITE

of:
HO CHI MINH
MAO TSE TUNG
FIDEL CASTRO
SADDAM HUSSEIN
OSAMA bin LADEN

Verses:
US


F-O-R-E-V-E-R


NEVER FORGET
20 posted on 04/11/2003 4:19:51 PM PDT by ALOHA RONNIE (Vet-Battle of IA DRANG-1965 http://www.LZXRAY.com ..,)
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