Despite the fact that Congress signed into law an agreement that automatic cuts would take place if the Super Committee couldn't come to an agreement on other cuts totaling over one trillion dollars, Republicans are Just Saying NO. They're not even trying to hide it. Lest there be any doubt:
There will be no cuts to the Department of Defense
In separate appearances on the Sunday Talk shows, both Sen. John Kyl and Sen. Pat Toomey, two Republican members of the Super Committee tasked with cutting $1.2T from the US budget, essentially admitted that come hell or high water, there will be no cuts to the sacred Department of Defense. Because, as Sec. of Defense Leon Pannetta said, people could start attacking us.
“In effect, it invites aggression," Panetta said during the new conference, just his second since taking office in July.
Panetta said those cuts would leave the military "a hollow force" which "retains its shell but lacks a core."
Conveniently, Sec. Panetta giftwrapped this justification that Sen. Kyl used on yesterday's Meet the Press. Neither Kyl nor Toomey explain how they intend to get around the automatic triggers from automatically triggering but are resolute in their resolve to see they damn well don't happen (to the DOD). Essentially the aggreement they signed back in August that prevented the default of the United States government, is meaningless and was simply intended as a temporary hedge to appease our creditors.
Sen. Kyl said 'one way or another' there will be spending cuts, but not in the 'draconian' way that Sec. Panetta describes, but rather 'more intelligently. So, the agreement that was signed last summer was unintelligent, and there is an 'opportunity' to avoid the sequestration, though he neglects to specify what it is. Essentially, the original agreement is toothless and without meaning, because Republicans don't like it.
ell, i think there's a way to avoid that, if there's goodwill on both sides. again, i think when the reality sets in and even those democratic trends who would like to see more defense cuts, when people like secretary panetta says this would be extraordinarily bad policy for the national security of the united states, we'll find ways to work around that.
Says Sen. Pat Toomey on Fox News Sunday:
But if agreement is not reached on how to cut at least $1.2 trillion from the nation’s deficit over the next decade, Toomey said, “I think a lively debate will occur” over whether to allow the automatic cuts take place—so-called sequestration—despite President Obama’s insistence on Friday he would not go along with any attempt to turn them off.
“But in the very very unfortunate event that we don’t, I think it’s very likely that Congress would reconsider the configuration of that sequestration. And consider is this really the best way to do it,” said Toomey.
Curiously, they did not consider the configuration when they agreed to it and voted it into law.
And we know the strength of President Obama's 'insistence' on such matters. After all it's his appointed Sec. of Defense providing the justification the Republicans need.
And notice David Gregory's own Freudian slip, calling the Super Committee's task 'automatic tax cuts'. Which is funny as hell, because the permanent extension of the Bush Tax Cuts is the one and only goal of this 'super' committee.
What comes out of this is Congress' utter obviliviousness to what America cares about. Kyl thinks Americans are frustrated with Congress because Democrats won't agree to any spending cuts. Sen. Kerry later on the same show says he hasn't been paying attention to 'politics' because he is too wrapped up in this Committee right now. News of Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Oakland and the rest is sweeping America in revolt against income inequality which entitlement slashing represents, but Republicans are working hard on cutting them, and extending their own tax cuts permanently. Kyl says 'they' (the protestors) don't understand where wealth comes from. America is starting to burn and they are fiddling, serving the masters that bought them, not the ones that elected them.