Republican Backed Military Base Closing Threaten National Security

So let me get this straight? When John Kerry voted to cut certain Cold War programs in the 90's after the Soviet Union was no longer a threat, the same programs that Dick Cheney also promoted to be slashed, the Republicans labeled Kerry soft on defense. They hammered that point home over and over during the Republican convention and repeated it widely in TV ads. We even heard ridiculous rhetoric from the likes of Benedict Arnold, Zell Miller, who insinuated John Kerry would fight terrorists with spitballs.

HOWEVER, today, Rumsfeld and Bush are proposing major cuts to 150 bases across the US (during a time of war, when we're authorizing $80 BILLION a year to fight in Afghanistan and Iraq) yet we're supposed to buy into the notion that the cuts are necessary to 'streamline' the military.

As an moderate I understand the logic in cutting certain military programs and using billions in tax money on more useful priorities. In fact I encourage that we reduce waste and review programs that aren't effective. That's just common sense!

What burns me to no end is when Republicans twist that common sense against Democrats and make the argument that Democrats aren't tough enough. It's a flat out deception, and it's high time Republicans stopped playing games with our National Security.

I also think it's clear we need to carefully consider the stratigic impact to some of these Republican backed closings.

Here's an excerpt of what Kerry had to say on the closings pertaining to his state:

"First and foremost, it's a mistake to close Otis Air Force Base. Otis is the number one base for homeland defense on the entire East Coast. The F-15s at Otis were the first to arrive over New York City on September 11; it's on the direct path of commercial flights from Europe; and it's ideally located to protect New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., with aircraft able to travel at supersonic speeds at a moment's notice. It simply makes no sense to close Otis in the post 9/11 world."