Cornyn: We Need F-22 To Protect Us From...India?

[tekisui]

Source:TPM

Check out this new Web video from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), in which he he says we need to keep the F-22 fighter plane in order to deal with emerging international threats -- including India, which is an ally of the United States:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP9By-fHG4s&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Ftpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fcornyn-we-need-f-22-to-protect-us-fromindia.php&feature=player_embedded

"It's important to our national security because we're not just fighting wars in Afghanistan and Iraq," Cornyn says. "We're fighting -- we have graver threats and greater threats than that: From a rising India, with increased exercise of their military power; Russia; Iran, that's threatening to build a nuclear weapon; with North Korea, shooting intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of hitting American soil."

more: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/07/cornyn-we-need-f-22-to-protect-us-fromindia.php

[Ilsa]

1. Cornyn is such a dickhead. The Pentagon said NO to it. That should

be the end of it. Why doesn't Cornyn listen to Gates and others who know it isn't needed?

[FarCenter]

2. He probably confused -- thinks they are Comanches

[theothersnippywshrub]

4. At first I was going to say LOL, but then I realized that you may be right. n/t

[baldguy]

3. India is a potential customer for the F-35

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-35#Potential_exports

[Supersedeas]

9. $$$$ for Defense Contractors before any other rational argument

[burning rain]

5. INDIA??! Yay, Cornyn brought teh loony!

Funny he didn't mention the PRC, as righties so often do -- that would have merely been stupid. The business of Beijing is business, after all.

[Catshrink]

6. Are the F-22s built in his district?

Or is he generously supported by the corporations that build them? Just curious.

[Buck Laser]

7. Of course. That goes without saying...

I have no proof, but anytime a member of congress seems to go against common sense, you can just follow the money.

[Catshrink]

8. I thought the same thing

but wanted confirmation. Guess I could use the Google but I'm lazy.

on edit: I Googled.

"About 1,000 suppliers in 44 states provide the jobs, which will gradually be phased out as some of the 187 F-22s that have been ordered are completed.

About two-thirds of the jobs are in California, Texas, Georgia, Washington and Connecticut. Several large unions who supported Mr. Obama in his campaign for the presidency, back building more planes.

All four senators from California and Washington are Democrats, and they all voted in favor of preserving the money for more planes."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/business/22defense.html

[MrScorpio]

10. The last base where I was stationed had a wing of F-22s

I knew years before the first one hit the tarmac the the plane was an expensive boondoggle.

Cornyn is clearly protecting his cut of the Military Industrial Congressional Complex.

This whoring that he's doing should be an insult to every American sensibilities, their wallets and their security.

[KharmaTrain]

11. GOOP Hypocrisy On Parade...Again...

I've had to deal with rushpublicans and others who scream about how health care reform will break us, yet not only look the other way, but outright cheerlead for the military-industrial complex who have squandred more money in a month than insuring everyone in this country for a year. They're all for "accountability" when it comes to treating the poor and elderly but when one of theirs puts on a flag and starts to scream about how North Korea or some other third world country is some big ugly threat and we need to continue to throw billions at General Dynamics, Halliburton, Boeing, General Electric and other big GOOP contributors.

[HughMoran]

12. Corn hole

Everything he says is asinine.