Defense analyst backs Thune on bombers

By Denise Ross, Journal Staff Writer | Saturday, October 16, 2004

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In a Friday debate defined by disagreement, South Dakota's U.S. Senate candidates took opposite positions on whether any support for the nation's B-2 stealth bomber fleet undermines Ellsworth Air Force Base, home to about 26 of the nation's 60 in-service B-1B Lancer bombers.

"John voted for the B-2, which is in direct competition to the B-1. That was a real threat to the B-1," Democratic Sen. Tom Daschle said.

His Republican opponent, former Congressman John Thune, disagreed, saying the B-2 and the B-1 are not mutually exclusive.

"The B-1 and the B-2 are not competing platforms. They are complementary platforms," Thune said.

Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lexington Institute think tank in Arlington, Va., supports Thune's explanation.

"I'm afraid Thune is right on that one," Thompson said. "The B-2 bomber and the B-1 bomber are both going to be critical to the United States' heavy bomber fleet for at least the next quarter century. They are mutually essential and mutually reinforcing. The Air Force has no plan to make a choice between the B-2 and the B-1."

Thompson said the two don't compete directly for finite dollars needed for upgrades because the U.S. Air Force needs both fleets and will keep both well-maintained.

The B-1 will be "the backbone of the heavy bomber fleet for the foreseeable future," Thompson said, citing the numbers of aircraft in the two fleets and the B-1's success in recent wars.

"There is no chance at all that the B-1 will cease being a key part of the U.S. bomber force," Thompson said.

That does not secure the fate of Ellsworth AFB, however, Thompson said.

"Any problem arising with Ellsworth has very little to do with the value of the B-1 bomber and a lot to do with the value of the base. Its problem is it is not in a particularly good location relative to likely threats," Thompson said. "Today, the issue is getting to the fight. Being located in the Dakotas is a geographical challenge compared with other places you might deploy from."

Any problems with Ellsworth AFB are noteworthy as the military prepares for a fourth round of base closings in 2005.

Daschle touted his position as his party's leader in the Senate and the fact that he will recommend one or two members to the commission that will decide which bases close. Elect Thune, Daschle said, and South Dakota loses that opportunity.

Thompson said the nation's choice of a president will do more to affect the future of Ellsworth than will South Dakota's choice of a senator.

"Bush is intent on having a round of base closures, and Kerry is intent on delaying it," Thompson said.

As part of the debate over who could do more for Ellsworth, Thune criticized Daschle for voting in 1995 against spending $327 million to upgrade the B-1.

Daschle campaign spokesman Jake Maas said that $327 million was a line item in the Defense Department's 1996 spending bill.

"Like Sen. John McCain, (R-Ariz.), Sen. Daschle opposed that bill because it was bad for our nation's defense and bad for Ellsworth," Maas said. "It included over $7 billion in non-requested pork spending, including nearly a half-billion dollars for the B-2."

In addition to military issues, the two clashed Friday on how vigorously Daschle supported gun rights.

Daschle scores an "F+" rating from the National Rifle Association, and Thune scores an "A."

According to the NRA's Web site, an "F" grade goes to those who are a "true enemy of gun owners' rights ... a vehement anti-gun candidate who always opposes gun owners' rights."

Daschle's campaign countered with a list of eight pro-gun votes, including votes to curtail gun-related lawsuits, a vote against expanding the definition of armor-piercing bullets and votes to allow retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed weapons and pilots to be armed.

In February, the NRA asked its members to thank Daschle for his support in passing a bill that bans lawsuits against gun manufacturers when those suits are based on the use of their guns to commit crimes.

In another exchange, Thune complained that Daschle is running TV ads promoting his support of tax cuts.

"He's running ads in favor of tax cuts - tax cuts that he opposed," Thune said.

Daschle did vote against Bush's tax cut proposals twice. Maas said he did so because he supported different tax cut plans.

"At the time of the Bush tax cuts, Sen. Daschle opposed them in favor of a different plan that targeted the middle class," Maas said.

The ad in question is specific to a tax cut package Congress passed last week in the final days before it adjourned for the Nov. 2 election.

"Last week ... it was Sen. Daschle who used his clout to bring Republicans and Democrats together to pass new tax cuts for the middle class," an announcer in Daschle's ad says.

Specifically, the tax package passed last week extended through 2010 three tax provisions set to expire at the end of the year:

n The bill increased the income range covered by the 10 percent tax bracket to $14,600 for couples and $7,300 for singles.

n The bill eliminated the "marriage penalty," which had married couples paying more than they would if each filed separately.

n The bill extended the $1,000 child tax credit through 2010. The $1,000 credit had been set to expire over the next few years.

Thune campaign manager Dick Wadhams called Daschle's vote last week "immaterial" to an ad he believes is deceiving.

"It is so duplicitous for them to talk about tax cuts, because he voted against them," Wadhams said.

The candidates' next debate will be at 6 p.m. MDT Sunday, Oct. 17, on CBS affiliate KELO-TV, which is broadcast statewide.

Contact Denise Ross at 394-8438 or denise.ross@rapidcityjournal.com