Kerry calls for probe of Pentagon sales

[ProSense]

Kerry calls for probe of Pentagon sales

By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer 21 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Kerry on Thursday called for an investigation into security weaknesses in the Defense Department's surplus sales that have let buyers for Iran and China acquire aircraft parts and other valuable military gear.

The Massachusetts Democrat sought an inquiry by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after The Associated Press reported that in several instances middlemen for the countries had exploited security flaws to acquire sensitive surplus.

The surplus sales include parts for F-14 "Tomcat" fighter jets, a plane retired last year by the United States and now flown only by Iran. Iran bought the jets in the 1970s before the U.S. government banned most exports, including defense-related sales, to the Mideast country.

"There is no way that Iran should be getting these sensitive military parts, especially with the situation in the Mideast so turbulent," Kerry said.

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[Mass]

1. More incompetence from the Bush administration.\nt

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. and more intelligent oversight and security concerns

from John Kerry (as usual).

[lpbk2713]

3. Not only is it a security loophole but

they purchase this *surplus* for pennies on the dollar relative to what the US taxpayer paid for these items to begin with. And a lot of it has never even been used.

[blm]

5. Beware the military industrial complex. What a effin' racket.

.

[TayTay]

4. It would be nice if we stopped arming our opponents

or helping them out with cheap spare parts. I should think that is the least this Admin can do. (Well, the least they can do is what they are doing currently, sigh, no oversight.)

[NewYorkerfromMass]

6. Good luck with the GOP in charge

[bvar22]

7. M&M Enterprises......

"...and everyone has a share!"


What's good for Big Business is good for America!:party:

The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those
who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[welshTerrier2]

8. the big picture ...

selling military weapons and supplies to any adversary is, of course, putting profit ahead of the interests of the American people ... one might call it "High Treason" ... so, kudos to Kerry for raising the issue ...

still, it's unfortunate that the "big picture" is not the focus of Kerry's call for an investigation ... the "big picture" is that selling weapons to our adversaries is just the tip of a much, much bigger iceberg ...

where are any of the Dems on talking about those who are profiting from the war in Iraq? this article makes a powerful case about the abuses of the military-industrial complex ... and this article describes the theft of Iraqi oil for private commercial gain ...

that's the "big picture" ... big money controlling the US agenda ... big money in the defense industry and big money in the oil industry are enemies of the American people ... I applaud Kerry's efforts but wish that both he and his colleagues would "out the bad guys" and take the fight to them in the Congress ... picking around the edges with "ending certain oil subsidies" is tokenism at best ...

[halobeam]

9. K & R