Charles R. Smith
Thursday, Mar. 04, 2004

For example, Kaplan wrote that in 1999 Kerry "voted against a motion to terminate the Trident II missile." Kaplan asserted Kerry voted for one of "the weapons systems that the RNC claims Kerry opposed."

If Kaplan had checked he could have found that Kerry did indeed oppose the Trident. In 1995, Kerry voted to cancel the U.S. Navy Trident D-5 project by supporting an amendment by Senator Bumpers (D. Ark.) to eliminate the strategic missile from the defense funding.

Instead of being a firm supporter of the Trident program, Kerry is indeed consistent - in his flip-flops.

Kerry has also opposed non-nuclear defense items. For example, in 1995 Kerry supported a deep cut in the F-22 Raptor USAF fighter by signing onto S. 151 "to reduce Federal spending by restructuring the Air Force's F-22 program to achieve initial operating capability in 2010 and a total inventory of no more than 42 aircraft in 2015."

Anti-Satellite Or Anti-American?

Slate's Kaplan also wrote "Kerry sponsored amendments to ban tests of anti-satellite weapons, as long as the Soviet Union also refrained from testing. In retrospect, trying to limit the vulnerability of satellites was a very good idea since many of our smart bombs are guided to their targets by signals from satellites."

Clearly, Kaplan and Slate know little about real military history, space warfare and Kerry's anti-satellite legislation. The fact is that Kerry was wrong in his claims that the Soviet Union had only one aging anti-satellite program. The Soviet Union, and later the Russian Federation, tested a MiG-31 Foxhound anti-satellite system, despite the unilateral ban imposed under Kerry's laws.

Kerry also missed the problems of proliferation. Russia offered to sell its MiG-31 anti-satellite system to China. China has also purchased extensive anti-satellite laser equipment from Russia, building its own system that is capable of knocking out or disabling a U.S. satellite.

Kerry also asserted that there was no space threat from any other nation than the former Soviet Union using satellites against the U.S. Today, Russia is offering the Kondor-E satellite to any buyer. The Kondor satellite is designed specifically to guide high-speed supersonic cruise missiles with space targeting sensors. China has orbited military targeting satellites and is helping both Pakistan and Iran to develop their own military targeting satellites.

Thus, while other nations have an operational Anti-Satellite system - we here in America still cling to Kerry's unilateral ban on deploying such systems.

Defense Money For Drug Abuse

While Slate may feel that Kerry is a supporter of National Defense, Kerry has made it clear he would rather spend money elsewhere.

In 1990, Kerry proposed his own amendment to the National Defense budget. Kerry wanted to transfer hundreds of millions of dollars directly from the U.S. missile defense budget to "Alcohol and Drug Abuse and Mental Health Services Block grants", "model projects for pregnant and post partum women and their infants", and "the medical account of the Department of Veterans Affairs."

Kerry's amendment also placed strict limits on the way missile defense funding could be spent. Kerry limited the funds available for radars, missile interceptors, and even limited the funding for the Israeli Arrow interceptor system.

"Here we are with a declared war on drugs and only 19 out of every 100 addicts in America receives treatment. What do you say to the 81 others who get turned away? What do you say to someone who comes in wanting treatment and is sent away for 6 weeks and later comes back?" stated Kerry in support of his cuts.

"It is not about ending Star Wars. It is not about denying the ability to continue research. It is about priorities and recognizing the reality of the nature of the threat, about what changes it has taken and it provides perfectly adequate money to continue this program for research while at the same time saying we are going to meet some of the real needs of the country," stated Kerry.

Kerry's missile cuts show the Senator's foresight in policy and the real needs of world politics. Just as Kerry wanted to reprogram anti-missile funding, Saddam Hussein launched his assault on Kuwait. The war that followed showed exactly how much the U.S., Israel and our allies needed missile defenses.

No To War In 1991

Yet, Kerry did not support the first Gulf war. The real test of a possible President is how he would deal with the brutal invasion of a small neighbor. Kerry failed that test.

"I do not believe our Nation is prepared for war," stated Kerry before the U.S. Senate on January 12, 1991. "But I am absolutely convinced our Nation does not believe that war is necessary. Nevertheless, this body may vote momentarily to permit it."

"There is no consensus in America for war and, therefore, the Congress should not vote to authorize war," said Kerry.

"I still believe that notwithstanding the outcome of this vote, we can have a peaceful resolution. I think it most likely. If we do, for a long time, people will argue in America about whether this vote made it possible," stated Kerry, placing his hopes on negotiating with Saddam Hussein.

"I personally believe, and I have heard countless of my colleagues say, that they think the President made a mistake to unilaterally increase troops, set a date and make war so probable."

Kerry flip-flopped again on Saddam after the Gulf war was won. It is interesting to note that by 1998 Kerry was supporting a U.S. unilateral attack against Saddam Hussein and even suggested the U.S. use a covert team to assassinate the dictator. Today, Kerry has flipped again by saying that we should not have over-thrown Saddam.

North Korea Not A Threat

Kerry's amazing foresight did not end in 1991. In August 1996 Kerry announced that he opposed the National Missile Defense because North Korea was simply not a threat.

"The supporters of this bill say that North Korea, Iran, Iraq, or Libya now have or will have shortly the ability to launch a missile that can reach our shores. That is simply not the case," stated Kerry.

"Our professional military and intelligence personnel, the people who have the training, the knowledge, and the access to the most sensitive of information to judge these threats, say there is no threat from any indigenously developed missile for the next 10 years. Yet the supporters of these provisions do not believe those who know the most about this subject," said Kerry.

"The report to this bill specifically notes the possible threat from the North Korean Taepo Dong II missile, which the report claims may have the range to hit Alaska. Since this weapon is in development, we do not in fact know that this missile will be capable of that range. But with North Korea in such dire straits economically and the growing possibility of its opening, with reunification with the south increasingly likely, should we spend billions on a missile defense system that probably won't work to counter a threat that may never exist?"

Kerry joined the Clinton head-in-sand crowd by declaring North Korea would need a decade to develop a missile against America. However, North Korean dictator Kim Jung Il had another timetable in mind.

In August 1998, Clinton's Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff General Shalikashvili went to Capitol Hill and testified under oath that North Korea did not have the capability to launch long-range missiles.

Two weeks later North Korea fired its Tae Po Dong missile over Japan, dropping a simulated nuclear warhead off the U.S. coast. So much for superman like foresight from the Massachusetts Senator.

There is one policy that Senator Kerry has been consistent in opposing. Kerry will end the U.S. National Missile Defense program and seek to re-establish the useless paper treaties with the former Soviet Union and North Korea. I can back this assertion with Senator Kerry's own voting and speaking record as documented in the U.S. Senate.

Partisan Sexual Misconduct

Finally, there is one area where Kerry's words are almost prophetic. During the debate for the National Defense Authorization Act for 1996, Kerry made a speech totally unrelated to American security.

"I hear the notion of popularity. There is a reason that one is popular and one is not. That is because one judgment is correct and the other is not. This is not a matter of partisanship, and it should not be. But it is highly inappropriate to apply a different standard that suggests that we are going to shut the door and sweep away the human capacity to speak to what has happened," stated Kerry.

"These probable cause issues rise not just to the question of sexual misconduct, but they rise to the question of obstruction of justice, they rise to the question of a breach of ethics with respect to assistance in job finding for personal family members," noted Kerry.

"And it is very hard to explain why all of a sudden sufficiency of record will be in depositions without senatorial participation. If that is the new standard around here, then let us fold up Waco, let us fold up Whitewater. Let us just do the depositions and live by that standard across the board. So the test here is very, very clear. And I congratulate my colleague for having the courage to bring it before the Senate," concluded Senator Kerry.

Kerry was right in 1995 but he would flip-flop on cue only a few years later. Obstruction of justice is a serious matter and should be treated with a full investigation. Of course, in 1995 the Massachusetts Senator was speaking about allegations of sexual misconduct filed against Sen. Packwood - not Bill Clinton.

Senator John Kerry is being made out to be the greatest defender of U.S. National Security since President John F. Kennedy. However, liberal pundits should take great care because the Senator's record speaks for itself - John Kerry is no JFK.

RADIO AND TV SCHEDULE

Charles Smith will be on:

The Charlie Smith Show on the American Freedom Network on Friday, 3/5/4, at 11 a.m. Eastern time. Show information at http://www.amerifree.com.

The Jerry Hughes show on Friday, 3/5/4, at 3 p.m. Eastern time. Show information at http://www.cilamerica.com.

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