Word: aspine
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...House was skunked," he complained. Their anger was directed at the outcome of a House-Senate conference committee to resolve differences between the two chambers on next year's defense spending. The Senate had prevailed so overwhelmingly, with the unexpected concurrence of House Armed Services Committee Chairman Les Aspin, that House leaders decided to delay until after the recess a vote on the compromise military-spending package. Most galling of all, but perhaps not surprising, the Congressmen once again displayed their chronic inability to cut major weapons systems from the budget...
Since beating out five senior rivals last January to become chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Wisconsin's Les Aspin has walked a tightrope on defense issues. A knowledgeable critic of Pentagon spending, he nevertheless angered many fellow Democrats by supporting the MX missile. Last week Aspin challenged his party, saying that the time has come to stop playing "the Doctor No of the defense debate." Democrats, he said, ought to start coming up with alternatives to weapons they do not like, instead of merely voicing criticism...
...speech that attracted considerable attention on Capitol Hill, Aspin told the Coalition for a Democratic Majority, "If Democrats want to spend the rest of their careers writing op-ed pieces and giving lectures at universities, then we can continue to stroke our antidefense image. But if we want to make defense policy in the White House and the Pentagon, then we had better stand for something." The party should point to some areas that need increased military spending, Aspin said, and should construct a positive defense policy around issues such as Pentagon reform. "The voters are not attracted to national...
...Since the end of the Cold War, there have been three or four of these comprehensive reviews of the type President Bush is now initiating. Les Aspin did one, William Perry did one, and William Cohen did one. But President Clinton never had the standing in the armed forces to attempt to remake the military. Not as a draft dodger. Not after the gays in the military debacle. And, of course, he's a Democrat. In the eyes of many in the Pentagon, that's three strikes. The Republicans can be a lot tougher on the military because people believe...
...informing Clinton Tuesday night in Arkansas that he would leave. By all accounts, the President continues to support Christopher, but the 71-year-old has been worn out after keeping a punishing schedule during his four years in the post. Perry took the job in Defense reluctantly when Les Aspin, Clinton's first choice for the post, fell ill. He reportedly will stay in place until a successor is named. It's likely that more departures are in the works. Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, a former Harvard professor, has been commuting from his home in Boston for months. Secretary...