VFW’s Dole-Kemp-Powell Parade

Campaigning for the first time with retired Army Gen. Colin L. Powell by his side, Bob Dole on Tuesday told the Veterans of Foreign Wars that the Clinton administration has “squandered” America’s defense budget, and he vowed to increase military spending and modernize the armed forces.

The Republican presidential nominee also chastised the administration for not dealing more harshly with nations known to sponsor terrorism. And on the domestic front, Dole said that as president, he would declare war on drugs, citing new government surveys showing the percentage of teenagers using drugs has risen sharply since 1992.

As a starting point, Dole said, he would convene a White House conference on the “national tragedy” and not rest until attaining “absolute victory.”

Such policy pronouncements notwithstanding, it was the surprise presence of Powell on the campaign trail with Dole and running mate Jack Kemp that aroused great enthusiasm from the thousands of VFW conventioneers here.

Speaking to reporters upon arriving in Louisville, Powell denied rumors that Dole has offered him the post of secretary of state in a GOP administration. “We haven’t had any such discussions,” Powell said.

In a comment likely to keep such talk alive, however, he said: “Anything’s open. But right now, the important thing is to get the team elected.”

Powell, an architect of the Persian Gulf War and more recently a best-selling author, clearly enjoyed special status at the VFW annual convention. Indeed, the Dole campaign broke with protocol by having Kemp introduce Powell, who received a loud ovation from the audience of about 6,000.

Powell, who in turn introduced Dole, lavished praise on both the former Senate majority leader and Kemp.

He called Kemp “one of the most inspirational men I have ever known, a man who exudes his love for this country with every breath; a man of firm principles and beliefs. . . .”

Of Dole, who was gravely injured in World War II, Powell said: “His courage in war was nothing to the courage he showed in the years that followed as his indomitable spirit carried him to new challenges and to a lifetime of service to the country and the Congress.”

Dole has often been criticized for inadequately articulating his vision for America, but Powell said Dole’s vision is based “on a renewal of our traditional values, values upon which we will rest our future; a vision based on the growth of our economy with the simple goal of providing the dignity and rewards of honest work to every able-bodied American who wants to work. . . .”

Powell, a featured speaker at the GOP convention in San Diego last week, said he was convinced that Dole and Kemp “will be running a campaign that will reach out and touch all Americans.”

Dole, as he did during his acceptance speech in San Diego on Thursday night, revisited the Vietnam War, noting that he and the VFW had “stood together” to fight against a move in Congress to cut off funds to U.S. forces there.

“I will never commit the armed forces, not one single soldier, without the prospect of victory,” Dole said.

Dole, who wore his own VFW cap from a chapter in Kansas, was strongly critical of recent defense spending reductions and suggested that the cuts Clinton pressed through Congress, about 11%, might have been deeper were it not for the GOP-dominated Congress that drew “a line in the sand.”

Under the Clinton administration, military pay has fallen 13% below comparable civilian levels, Dole said, adding that today some 17,000 junior enlisted personnel rely on food stamps.

“That should not happen if you wear the American uniform,” he said. “No question about it, we can do better. We must restore our nation’s commitment to our men and women in uniform.”

Despite Dole’s remarks, a comparison of their positions indicates that he and Clinton differ only slightly on long-term defense spending levels.

For the six years from 1997 through 2002, Clinton has proposed spending $1.614 trillion on defense, according to the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, a Washington-based think tank. Dole in June voted for a budget resolution that recommends $1.633 trillion, a difference of $19 billion, or little more than 1%.

On terrorism, Dole said in his speech that the White House has sent confusing signals to the international community in its dealings with countries known to sponsor terrorists. Among those he listed were Syria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Cuba and the Sudan.

“On my first day in office I will put terrorists . . . on notice: If you harm one American, you harm all Americans. And America will pursue you to the end of the earth,” Dole said. “In short, don’t mess with us if you’re not prepared to suffer the consequences. Don’t mess with us.”

Dole also promoted his own economic agenda, with its 15% cut in income tax rates and a 50% reduction in the capital gains tax.

To critics, including Clinton, who have said the plan would “balloon” the federal deficit, Dole offered a terse response: “Nuts!”

Dole’s comment was drawn from the reply of U.S. Brig. Gen. Anthony McAuliffe, who gave that reply when German commanders requested his surrender during the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.

Vice President Al Gore is scheduled to address the veterans’ organization today; Reform Party presidential candidate Ross Perot speaks Thursday.

Dole and his entourage paid a brief visit to the VFW ladies auxiliary meeting near the convention hall before returning to Washington,

At that session, Dole proudly asked the crowd if he had made a good choice by picking Kemp as his running mate. The women cheered heartily, but one person near the front, Donna D. Tellgren of Colorado, said loudly: “I would’ve preferred Powell.”