Democrat's call for defense cuts draws Republican attacks

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, D-Mass., has called for a 25 percent cut in military spending, handing Republicans a fresh line of attack against Democrats with just over a week until Election Day.

Frank told the editorial board of the South Coast (Mass.) Standard-Times last week that the Pentagon must start choosing among its weapons programs. "We don't need all these fancy new weapons," Frank said during an interview on the economy and a post-election stimulus package. "I think there needs to be additional review."

Many Washington-based defense budget analysts have forecast that Pentagon budgets will soon reach a peak after years of wartime growth but remain relatively large.

The Republican presidential candidate, Senate Armed Services ranking member John McCain, R-Ariz., seized on Frank's comments, arguing that cutting defense is "not the vision I have for America."

House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, Friday called the statement "incredibly irresponsible" and said it is "just a taste of the extreme policies we'll be seeing in Washington if Democrats are given complete control."

House Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee ranking member John McHugh, R-N.Y., said in a separate statement that it would be "unconscionable to repeat the mistakes of the past on the back of nearly a decade of direct combat operations."