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Romney hits Obama on military cuts in new ad

By Jeremy Herb - 10/23/12 11:44 AM ET

Mitt Romney’s campaign is out with a new campaign ad after Monday’s debate attacking President Obama over cuts to the military.

Romney’s ad, which likely has an eye toward Virginia, a military-heavy battleground state, criticizes Obama for $1 trillion in cuts to the Pentagon that could occur if sequestration goes into effect.

The ad takes footage of Obama saying at the debate that America is stronger now than when he took office, and splices it with Romney’s comments Monday night that the U.S. Navy is smaller now than at any time since 1917.

“I will not cut our military budget by a trillion dollars, which is a combination of the budget cuts the president has,” Romney says in the ad. “That, in my view, is making our future less certain and less secure.”

Romney and Republicans have criticized Obama over the cuts to the military and sequestration, blaming the president for sequestration in attacks that have focused on states with a big military presence like Virginia and North Carolina.

Romney has vowed not to cut the military or allow the sequestration cuts occur. Obama said on Monday that sequestration would not take place; he and Democrats blame Republicans for blocking any compromise in Congress on sequestration by refusing to raise taxes.

The Pentagon is already planning roughly $500 billion in cuts that stemmed from last year's Budget Control Act deal, and would be hit with another $500 billion over the next decade if sequestration goes into effect.

The footage from the Romney campaign’s ad focuses on the candidates tangling over the size of the military at Monday’s debate, as Romney warned the Navy and Air Force was reaching historically low levels.

“The Navy said they needed 313 ships to carry out their mission,” Romney said. “We’re now at under 285. We’re headed down to the low 200s if we go through a sequestration. That’s unacceptable to me.”

But Obama responded with one of his most memorable zingers of the night.

“Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military has changed,” Obama said. “We have these things called aircraft carriers where planes land on them.  We have these ships that go underwater, nuclear submarines.”


Source:
http://thehill.com/video/campaign/263537-romney-hits-obama-on-military-cuts-in-new-ad

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