Why do Repubs still think Clinton sized down the military?

Question

In fact it was Bush Sr. who reduced our military, signed off on by a Republican Congress and Sec Def Cheney. President Bush Sr. had already said publicly that the proposed FY 1990 Defense budget of more than $300 billion had to be cut immediately by $6.3 billion, and soon after Cheney began work the president increased the amount to $10 billion.

Armygirl, who was Prez in 1993?

eelfins those reductions were implemented during the Clinton years, but they were signed off on by the Bush/Cheney gang.

Here is the definitive answer :
"Although many equate the initiation of personnel and force structure reductions with the end of the Cold War in 1989 or the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, DOD, as a whole, started downsizing in 1988. The Army and Air Force started trimming forces in 1987 and the Marine Corps followed suit the following year. The Navy did not start reducing numbers until 1990"

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0JIW/is_1_55/ai_87146688

Answer 1

becuase they are wrong

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/feb2000/budg-f12.shtml

Answer 2

One has to remember that the downsizing done after the Berlin Wall came down (along with Communisim) after 1989 was A F T E R the military had been super sized to gargantuan status by Reagan who had used military spending in a race to out bankrupt the Soviets to end the Cold War - they lost the race and then we reciprocated by down sizing our military.

Clinton appointed Les Aspin as his Secy of Defense - Les (a powerful Congressman from my home state of Wisconsin) had long been a critic of excessive military spending and was the perfect choice to downsize the military by eliminating the most useless of that spending very quickly - thereby allowing funds that could be used for other priorities like education and homeland security (local policing) before the Homeland Security Dept was created.

[ During Regan's military buildup, the Republicans discovered that a lot of the private contractors created to fulfill the new military spending contracts, being ex-military themselves, were predominantly fellow Republicans who could give some of that largess back to the party in the form of legal campaign contributions. That process has become systemitized since then, with most military contractor money going to those who help maintain this military spending gravy train supported more by Republicans than Democrats. ]

Answer 3

Probally because he did.

Active duty troops strength was cut 420,000 service members during the Clinton administration.

Just how can you not call that down sizing the military ?

And, Bush Sr. never had a Republican Congress.

Republicans didn't gain control of Congress untill Janurary 1995.

Answer 4

Sr did not reduce the military, he reduced a proposed budget for the military. and the reduced budget was still close to 50 billion dollars MORE than the previous.

Clinton DID reduce the military, and why not. The cold war was over, Red China was not a precieved threat, and it appeared Israelis and Palestenians had met a common ground.

Answer 5

lack of understanding of what really went on.
example:

during non- conflict times, you don't need to pay troops to guard obsolete power reactors that aren't in use.

Just because the budget is there, generals don't need $400 toilet seats with the tax payer footing the bill.

Clinon's actions is what allowed Bush to give those tax refunds.

how someone who is so low on the totem-pole is going to be able to judge the reason for budget cuts is completely beyond my understanding.
That would be like a walmart cashier knowing exactly why wally world shut down a store on the other side of the country.
when you find frivilous spending you shrink the budget. the same thing any business-wise person would do when people are crying about wanting taxes reduced.

don't mind them, when the next president gets this war wrapped up and they give training facitlities in Iraq to iraqies and American tax dollars no longer need to be spent on them for upkeep guards etc., and money is no longer required in excess of billions a week for the conflict, they'll be crying that he cut the military as well.

Answer 6

Clinton reduced the number of military divisions from 18 to 10 during his 8 years, which is almost half. That qualifies as "sizing down" I think. I don't see the big deal, anyway. We didn't need them at the time.

Answer 7

I was in the U.S. Army from 1991-1995, in 1993 the cuts started coming and didn't end till years after I got out. I was there I saw it and I lived it. Sorry, but you can't blame this one on Daddy Bush!

Clinton was President from Jan 1993 to 2000

Answer 8

http://www.nysun.com/article/48926
1,245 dead in 1993
1,109 dead in 1994
1,055 dead in 1995
1,008 dead in 1996
Under Clintons watch in peacetime
but who's counting these numbers now?

Not exactly your question, forgive me. I had four links but they have been changed. As the web turns. I'll get them back!
This stuff is out there like your solid numbers people just
need to get involved and do the research! TY very much. K
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040624-112921-3401r.htm

Answer 9

It appears that around 1993, Clinton cut another 127 Billion and kept cutting.

Read and learn!

Answer 10

because he did. I'm guessing Hillary made him do it.