When Senator John McCain spoke of less jobs and more war, no one could have predicted it would lead to this:
From the Kansas Democratic Party:
Yesterday, John McCain defended the Air Force decision to overlook Wichita-based Boeing Co. for a $35 billion contract to build airborne refueling planes, saying he would not work to overturn the decision and saying that military decisions should not be about creating jobs. [McCain Town Hall Meeting, Waco TX, 3/3/08; AP, 3/3/08] Unfortunately for American workers, McCain has the record to back his statement up.
In 2003, Sen. McCain authored an amendment undermining “Buy American” rules requiring U.S. military equipment, defense systems and components to be manufactured in the United States. By allowing the Department of Defense to purchase American military equipment from foreign companies, the McCain amendment laid the groundwork for the Air Force’s decision to outsource the production of refueling tankers for the American military. The amendment passed along party lines with Kansas Senators Roberts and Brownback voting in its favor. [Vote 191, 5/21/03]
“McCain’s refusal to question the Air Force’s decision gives us a glimpse into the kind of economic policy we can expect from a McCain presidency.” asked Kansas Democratic Party Executive Director Mike Gaughan. “His track record clearly demonstrates a lack of commitment to investing in the American economy. In fact, the only economic plan we’ve heard from John McCain so far is making George W. Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy permanent in 2010.” Read on...
McCain's amendment bolstered by GOP support cost some 44,000 jobs nationwide and took hundreds of millions of dollars out of the U.S. economy -- which has made a LOT of people VERY angry and Congress may be looking into the deal. If you look at the roll call on McCain's amendment you'll see that only one Democratic Senator voted for the amendment. Less jobs, more war, indeed...
