Bush, Gore Trade Shots On Military
George W. Bush accused the Clinton administration Tuesday of leaving the military unprepared and low in morale, saying the performance "cries out for a new sign on the Pentagon that says 'Under new management.'"
Bush, the Republican presidential contender, spoke in Denver at the nation's oldest Veterans of Foreign Wars post and promised to honor veterans by assuring the military is prepared.
The Texas governor said the Democratic administration, including Gore, has presided over a military in which some units are no longer at the highest state of combat readiness, recruitment has fallen short of goals and thousands of soldiers are on food stamps.
"Al Gore claims that qualifies for a promotion," Bush said. "No, the Clinton-Gore record cries out for a new sign on the Pentagon that says 'Under new management."'
Gore spokesman Douglas Hattaway said in response: "Gov. Bush can talk about military readiness all he wants, but he clearly isn't ready to lead the U.S. military. Experts say his irresponsible position on missile defense could lead to a new arms race. With all the complex international issues we face, the next leader of the free world should not be going through on-the-job training."
The vice president, meanwhile, focused on the environment and the economy, saying in Milwaukee, "Pollution does not have to be the price of prosperity." He gained the endorsement of the 9 million member League of Conservation Voters.
Gore was in Milwaukee Tuesday, where he pledged to provide $2 billion in tax cuts and other new measures to protect land threatened by sprawl and to ensure working families access to parks and other green space.
He also said he wants to halt global warming and enforce air standards.
"None of our children should have to worry whether the water they drink is pure or the air they breathe is clean," Gore said in remarks prepared for his appearance. "We have proven once and for all that pollution does not have to be the price of prosperity."
The president of the League of Conservation Voters, Deb Callahan, who worked for Gore's 1988 presidential bid, called him "America's best hope to solve the environmental challenges before us."
Introducing Gore, Callahan praised the former senator for chairing congressional hearings on toxic waste dumping and for pushing administration initiatives to fight suburban sprawl.
Callahan criticized Bush as too cozy with business interests.
A day earlier, the two candidates focused on patriotism during Memorial Day speeches to audiences composed largely of military veterans.
In Killeen, Texas, home to nearby Fort Hood, Bush saluted veterans' sacrifices. Gore, meanwhile, recalled his own Army days in Vietnam during an appearance in the small town of Elizabeth, Pa., which lost six sons in the conflict.
Although he was introduced as a former Texas Air National Gard pilot, Bush did not refer to his stateside military service during the Vietnam years.
"Thank you for serving our country. You make us all proud to be Americans," Bush said. "Whatever it is about Texas that produces these veterans, whatever it is about America, that thing is sacred. We must never lose it. We must always honor it."
Gore asked for a show of hands from veterans of the Korean War, World War II and the Persian Gulf War during an appearance before a crowd of about 500 in Elizabeth, a town of 1,600 people in western Pennsylvania.
Speaking directly to the veterans in his audience, the vice president said: "You have that bond with those you served with. You feel the same feelings, thought the same things, you made the same sacrifices. Of course, some sacrificed a whole lot more than others, and today we particularly honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice."