Response to Clinton's Radio Address: Defense

HEADLINE: REPUBLICAN RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT CLINTON'S SATURDAY RADIO ADDRESS
WITH: SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN (R-AZ)

BODY:

SEN. MCCAIN: Hello, I'm John McCain from Arizona. The president speaks to you often about his intention to improve the domestic security of the American people. We Republicans are no less dedicated to improving your security in your home, in your job and in your ability to provide your family's health care. We may sometimes disagree with the president about how government can best address these problems. But our disagreements are not merely partisan reflexes. They are honest philosophical and practical differences.

But I don't want to spend these few moments with you detailing these differences, I want to speak to you about our government's primary responsibility to provide that security which individual Americans cannot provide for themselves, the defense of the United States from foreign threats.

President Clinton often forgets that conducting foreign policy is not the same as conducting a political campaign. In a political campaign, a candidate sometimes makes promises that may not be serious proposals. The consequences for such behavior vary, but they are seldom life-threatening. Such is not the case when a president speaks about his intentions to involve the United States in world events.

Unfortunately President Clinton all too often demonstrates a casual disregard for the importance of making certain that American rhetoric is backed up by American action. This dangerous failing breeds considerable cynicism among our allies and encourages our enemies, who have begun to doubt America's will to protect our interests abroad.

President Clinton threatened to bomb Bosnian-Serb positions ten times before he seriously intended to do so. He has repeatedly threatened to cut off trade with the strongest power in Asia—China—unless China improves its human rights record. Now, recognizing the need to work with China on urgent problems affecting America's security, the president is desperately seeking a way out of his self- created dilemma.

Without doubt, the gravest threat we face today is North Korea's nuclear weapons program and they war they have threatened to protect it. The president first addressed this grave problem by stating uncategorically that he would not tolerate North Korea's possession of a single nuclear weapon. Upon learning that North Korea may already possess two nuclear warheads and will soon have the missiles to deliver them as far as Japan, the president offered concessions after concessions in the foolish hope that we could appease North Korea into abandoning its nuclear ambitions. A policy best described as walk softly and carry a bunch of carrots.

The administration must now take those actions which it sought in vain to avoid. For three months, the administration ignored the request of the American commander in Korea to deploy Patriot missile batteries to defend U.S. and South Korean forces against a missile attack. They canceled joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises that have been held annually for 40 years.

They declined to insist on full inspections of all North Korean nuclear facilities. They refused to press forward vigorously to impose economic sanctions against North Korea. Finally, the administration continues to cut defense spending well below a safe level.

Unsurprisingly, the North Koreans took all this as a sign of weakness and refused our every request that they adhere to their freely undertaken international commitment not to develop nuclear weapons. The North Koreans have amassed 800,000 troops along the border with South Korea. The capital of South Korea, Seoul, is well within North Korean artillery range.

Daily, North Korea threatens to incinerate the South. Thirty-five-thousand American men and women are stationed in Korea, and many of them would be among the first casualties of a North Korean attack.

As we now, belatedly, try to prepare for North Korean hostility, the administration's previous policies have alienated the two Asian countries whose help we must have to impose economic sanctions—China and Japan. And our initial lack of firmness caused our South Korean allies to doubt our resolve to defend ourselves and them from North Korean aggression.

I have focussed my remarks on Korea, but the administration's vague, irresolute, and careless foreign policies have jeopardized our vital interests around the world. Anti-Americanism is on the rise globally, from India to Russia to China, as we confront an ever growing number of international threats. There is no doubt that our nation is much less secure today than it was when the president took office. I ask all Americans to urge the president to take his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief as seriously as he takes his political campaigns for health care reform and other domestic priorities.

We Republicans welcome the opportunity to work closely with the president to address these grave threats to our national security. These problems must be corrected quickly. Failure to do so would cost us dearly.

Thank you and God bless you.