Lyin' Ryan scorns Obama for defense cuts for which Ryan voted.

Ryan scorns defense cuts he voted for

Published: Aug. 22, 2012 at 4:00 AM

WEST CHESTER, Pa., Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Paul Ryan voted for $492 billion in looming U.S. defense cuts he now scorns President Barack Obama for, but aides said that doesn't mean Ryan supported them.

"President Obama's reckless defense cuts that are hanging over our cloud -- hanging over the horizon -- could put almost 44,000 jobs at stake right here in Pennsylvania. We are not going to let that happen," Ryan told a crowd at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center in West Chester, Pa., 15 miles from Valley Forge, where the Continental Army spent the winter of 1777-1778 during Revolutionary War.

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Ryan -- running mate of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney -- was referring to predicted spending cuts set to go into effect automatically in January. They are part of the Budget Control Act of 2011, which ended the U.S. debt-ceiling crisis that threatened to push the United States into sovereign default last summer.

As part of the deal, a congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, often called the "supercommittee," was required to identify about $1.2 trillion in cuts to reduce the federal deficit. If it failed, then Congress could increase the debt ceiling another $1.2 trillion -- but that would trigger across-the-board cuts, called "sequestrations."


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Ryan -- chairman of the House Budget Committee -- was among the 174 House Republicans and 95 Democrats who voted for the debt-ceiling deal.

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A spokesman said Ryan supported the debt deal as a "process" but did not support the defense cuts.

"Chairman Ryan voted for a process for bipartisan deficit reduction," Ryan spokesman Michael Steel said. "President Obama insisted on these crippling defense cuts and then went AWOL, campaigning full time. He now bears responsibility."


In the past Obama has said he does not support sequestration but will veto any measures that simply try to undo it. Instead, he has said he would push Congress to work toward an alternative spending reduction package.

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2012/08/22/Ryan-scorns-defense-cuts-he-voted-for/UPI-37861345622400/#ixzz24GNMkkC0


Where to begin?

First between Lyin' Ryan and Willard, the 180% turns abound. Seriously, even Republicans have to be wondering how many lies these two will tell.

Second, Ryan is worried about jobs vis a vis federal spending, but only if job losses result from defense cuts?

Third, who said defense cuts have to equate to diminution in national security? It is not as though dollars ward off bullets. Also not as though there is not a vast amount of wasteful defense spending, including on weapons and equipment that are outdated or otherwise problematic. The cuts to so-called "entitlements," however, are likely to cause real pain.

Fourth, Ryan claims not to support defense cuts for which he voted, while Obama promised to use his veto protect a sequester he claims not to support. I guess the reason why so many Americans don't bother to vote at all is to show their support stuff like this?