White House Threatens to Veto Defense Bill

Obama's position IS based on placing priority on our national security over corporate interests ($ contracts):

"Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended to the president to end production of the F-22 at the conclusion of its current funding program in fiscal 2009, as part of his overhaul defense budget reform.

Instead, Gates recommended in his 2010 budget bill to produce more newest manned aircraft, the stealth F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which can carry a larger suite of weapons and is better suited for air-to-ground missions such as destroying sophisticated enemy air defenses.

An F-35 also costs half as much as an F-22 and has potential to become the "backbone of America's tactical aviation fleet for decades to come," Gates said."

We need all the defense we can get! Take a look at what Korea is doing and Iran wanting O to apologize!! It is a scary thing that Bin Laden has a new seed of revenge against the US!! People wake up out of your fantasy cocoon and see what our new socialist is wanting to do!

Waiting on a bomb to drop in my back yard, you should be worried too! At least Bush kept the war off our shores and stopped 911 from happening and all or you just want to keep blaming! What about all of our people that was killed???
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Couldn't agree with you more. With this fraud in office we are beginning to see the death of America. He can give all kinds of money away but gonna veto our defense. What a moron. I hope the obots enjoying paying for all these new tax increases also on their cigs, alcohol and soon all of us will be paying higher utility bills because of our idiot so call POTUS that had to buy his way in the WH.

I don't know if the Raptor is worth it or not, what I find hilarious though is that the Dems had been planning on going after those Republican who voted against this bill as not supporting the troops. So is Obama not supporting the troops? National Security is not a game to be played with. It one of the few jobs of a national government and one of the few jobs they do very well.

I don't know if the Raptor is worth it or not, what I find hilarious though is that the Dems had been planning on going after those Republican who voted against this bill as not supporting the troops. So is Obama not supporting the troops? National Security is not a game to be played with. It one of the few jobs of a national government and one of the few jobs they do very well.

JUDY WOODRUFF: But by ending production in - down the road, of the F-22 Raptor, I'm already reading that shutting it down is going to mean the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. Was that something that weighed on you as you made that decision?

ROBERT GATES: Well, we can't be oblivious to the impact that these decisions have on people, but the information that's available to us shows that the direct employment of the F-22 will go from about 32,000 in - I'm sorry, from about 24,000 this year to about 11,000 in 2011. But Joint Strike Fighter will go from 38,000 people working this year to 82,000 people that work on that plane in direct support in 2011. So there are puts and takes. I think we've done a good job of taking care of the industrial base in the shipyards and the workers there in the decisions on the shipbuilding.

The following is a quote from Gates during an interview with Judy Woodruff on 4/7/2009: "We're converting more ships to have ballistic-missile defense that would help against China." I knew China was a threat in hiding, but this pretty much confirms it. Spend, spend and spend some of that stimulus if need be on defense.

why is nobody...especially the article...mentioning the fact that the bill passed 389-22. That is more than enough to over-ride the Presidents veto...so you can say "good for him" all you want. They can over-ride it and pass the bill, the only question is if the house democrats have the backbone to go against a popular president from there own party.

The big question is whether Chambliss and other right-wing nuts are willing to vote for Obama's health care proposal in exchange for re-funding the F-22 jet fighter-to-nowhere project.

It'll probably never happen, but I would howl with delight if it did.

Kent wrote: "...we need to have election reform disallowing campaign contributions from all but private citizens."

I agree! Only individuals should be allowed to make political contributions. No organizations, whether a corporation, a union or a non-profit organization should be allowed to contribute money to any politician or political group.

But I would go one step further. I also believe we should limit political contributions from individuals to ONLY those candidates and issues (political groups set up either as proponents or opponents of a proposition or initiative) for which THAT individual is able to vote. In otherwords, you can only contribute to candidates or issues that will be on your ballot.

"cash for clunkers" good one Kent

I wonder if a handful of Stryker brigades and other light-in-the-rear end formations tailored for the fighting in Southwest Asia would be much good against the Russians or the Red Chinese?

As long as Dear Leader and his Politburo are convinced they have the muscle to quell a domestic disturbance, they could care less about fellow Communists increasing their power overseas.

We need all the defense we can get! Take a look at what Korea is doing and Iran wanting O to apologize!! It is a scary thing that Bin Laden has a new seed of revenge against the US!! People wake up out of your fantasy cocoon and see what our new socialist is wanting to do!

Waiting on a bomb to drop in my back yard, you should be worried too! At least Bush kept the war off our shores and stopped 911 from happening and all or you just want to keep blaming! What about all of our people that was killed???

Good for Obama! Stimulus is good, but PLEASE spend it on something that is actually USEFUL! If the military no longer wants M-1 rifles and Sherman Tanks (just kidding) then don't make them keep taking them!

If you do not trust someone then you should get rid of them. Who do you blame for a mess like this, Congress or the military. Guess all the new rules on lobbying were just another smoke screen.

I agree, Roland. Let's start a grassroots movement to ammend the Constitution imposing term limits for lawmakers. Failing that, we need to have election reform disallowing campaign contributions from all but private citizens.

Congress doesn't work anymore. This institution needs to be re-invented.

Right on, The_Mick. Well said. Being a retired Army officer myself who worked in defense acquisition/test and evaluation jobs for the last 8 years of my career and for 10 years afterward as an engineering services contractor, I can attest to this truth: Well structured weapons systems programs are nearly impossible to kill. Consider the B-1 bomber for instance. Three presidents, as I recall, tried to terminate that program. And the airplane has turned-out to be the most expensive hangar queen of all times.

Isn't this the same bill that had "Cash for Clunkers" attached to it? hahahaha.

It was a Republican President and former 5-star general, Dwight Eisenhower who said, "Beware of the military-industrial complex." It has become so adept at legally bribing Congressmen through campaign contributions that it is hard to disrail. Good for Obama for trying.

With all that is going on in the Senate prior to the scheduled Independence Day Recess coming up and considering the close vote by the Senate Armed Services Committee on the F22, the timing on this bill might just be right for a "pocket" veto. This would save the president from having to officially veto the bill and Congress members from having to tell their constituents back home that they didn't try their best. Yes, Congress will have to pass a defense spending bill eventually that the president will sign or choose to stick to their guns and override the veto of this still very popular president -- either way, a difficult political choice. Anyway, anyhow, it'll interesting to see how this plays out. So much for the honeymoon, however.