alt.education

on Mon 03 Mar 2008 11:39:11a
"William Flax" posted
in news:ieYyj.6880$Mh2.5846@nlpi069.nbdc.sbc.com:

> Not so. Reagan's spending was for a military build up. It
> broke the back of the Soviet Union's ability to sustain the Arms
> Race. Clinton--whom you apparently find acceptable--reaped the
> "Peace Dividend," from the Reagan policies. It does make a
> difference, you know, what you incur deficits to accomplish, and
> how long lasting they are.
>

Complete and utter hogwash. Reagan's bellicosity extended the
Iron fist of the Soviet. The cardboard bear was already tumbling
down, and Reagan's "evil empire" bullshit gave the Kremlin
leverage to use obstructing Glasnost.

As to your absurd claim regarding Clinton reaping the peace
dividend: by the time Clinton was inaugurated, the peace dividend
had been sliced and diced up nicely, and then fed to GOP corporate
cronies. This was noted by President George H.W. Bush in his
January 28, 1992 State of the Union address:

"Two years ago, I began planning cuts in military spending
that reflected the changes of the new era. But now, this
year, with imperial communism gone, that process can be
accelerated. Tonight I can tell you of dramatic changes in
our strategic nuclear force. These are actions we are
taking on our own because they are the right thing to do.
After completing 20 planes for which we have begun
procurement, we will shut down further production of the
B-2 bombers. We will cancel the small ICBM program. We
will cease production of new warheads for our sea-based
ballistic missiles. We will stop all new production of the
Peacekeeper missile. And we will not purchase any more
advanced cruise missiles.

[...]

The Secretary of Defense recommended these cuts after
consultation with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. And I make
them with confidence. But do not misunderstand me. The
reductions I have approved will save us an additional $50
billion over the next 5 years. By 1997, we will have cut
defense by 30 percent since I took office..."

George H.W. Bush, State of The Union Address, Jan. 28, 1992


Please remind me, just who was GW Bush's Secretary of Defense,
whom Poppa Bush described in glowing terms here as the mastermind
behind cutting up the peace dividend?

More revisionary claptrap from an agent of mediocrity.