FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 28, 2002
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Contact:
Mike Clem
301.682.6302
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39% of the Senate Earn 'Fs' in Defending America
American Defense Council grades Congress on national security;
Only 10 Senators go to head of the class with 'B+'
WASHINGTON, DC – More than a third of the U.S.
Senate failed to make the grade when it comes to the nation's security
and defending its principles, according to the American Defense
Council. Those at the very bottom included Senators Robert Byrd,
Barbara Boxer, Edward Kennedy, Jack Reed and Patrick Leahy.
None of the 50 senators received an 'A' while only 10 earned a high
grade of 'B+' on the national nonprofit organization's report card:
Christopher Bond, Mike Crapo, Peter Fitzgerald, Chuck Grassley,
Charles Hagel, Trent Lott, Richard Lugar, Frank Murkowski, Don Nickles
and Craig Thomas.
Citizens who want to know how their senators scored can go to the
Homeland Security Rating page on the group's web site at www.americandefensecouncil.com.
Dan Perrin, president of the organization, notes that the Senate's
poor performance on defense and security issues is exactly why his
group monitors legislation in Washington.
"We advocate a simple message: peace through strength in defense
of our principles abroad while protecting our individual liberties
at home," Perrin explains. "America's single greatest
strength is our Constitution – specifically the Bill of Rights
and the Separation of Powers Doctrine the Founders designed to keep
the three branches of government separate but equal. We take a very
dim view of any efforts to weaken those principles that millions
of American men and women have fought, bled and died to preserve.
"So we use that as our criteria to rank the performance of
Capitol Hill’s lawmakers," he adds. "And we make
that information easily available to the American people on our
web site. Voters can see for themselves how their elected representatives
measure up."
With 68,138 members, the American Defense Council is one of the
fastest growing grassroots citizens groups in the country. It conducts
independent research vital to the military, intelligence, political,
economic and sovereign interests of the United States and disseminates
this information to policymakers and the American people with the
goal of improving U.S. national security. ###
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