Political Quotes

“shortly after Christmas, the New York Times printed a very one-sided portrayal of the National Guard. In that article, a senior Defense Department official is quoted as saying, ``There's a lot of the Army National Guard that's just irrelevant to our strategy. It's kind of like a welfare program for weekend warriors. * * *'' Aside from being grossly inappropriate, the statement is simply not true. Change is inevitable--not just for the Guard but for this Nation's military structure as a whole. And, while the Guard is prepared to face those new challenges, as we go forward, I'll continue to be guided by my unequivocal support for the Guard and by the knowledge that the Guard is in no way the problem, but rather the key to the solution. I can also assure my colleagues that some nameless, faceless bureaucrat who equates the Guard--with its stellar performances in the Persian Gulf, Somalia, Haiti, the Sinai, and Bosnia--to a handout, will not be determining the Guard's fate. Instead, the Guard, sitting down as equals with the Army, will determine that future.”