海角大神

A trio of the Senate鈥檚 leading GOP defense hawks have a message about cuts in military spending, slated for Jan. 1: Under no circumstances can America sustain them 鈥� and Republicans are willing to give up sacred ground on taxes to make sure they don鈥檛 occur.

鈥淲e are willing to compromise,鈥� said Sen. John McCain (R) of Arizona, who as a Vietnam War hero was given a roaring welcome in Norfolk, Va. 鈥� the heart of the US congressional district with the largest concentration of military installations. 鈥淲e are not wedded to any one position because there is too much at stake. So I am asking you to get into the fight.鈥�

Senator McCain was joined by fellow Republicans Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, a threesome that has frequently taken to the floor of the Senate to decry the impact of $55 billion in looming defense-spending reductions. The area鈥檚 member of Congress, Rep. Scott Rigell (R), was also in attendance Monday evening.

The town hall was the third stop in the trio鈥檚 鈥淧reserving America鈥檚 Strength鈥� tour, which included earlier discussions in Tampa, Fla., and Fayetteville, N.C. On Tuesday, the group was to hold a final meeting in Merrimack, N.H. In Norfolk, they were greeted by some 200 listeners who were largely older and affiliated with the armed services.

Many said they came to the speech because they fear what the defense cuts would mean for their community.

鈥淭hese are our Fortune 500 companies,鈥� said Lynne Uher of Virginia Beach.

One defense-industry-funded study showed roughly 1 million jobs at risk if the cuts happen, although Virginia and Florida were the only states on the 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Strength鈥� trip to make the Top 10. The Sunshine State was fourth with more than 49,000 potential job losses. Virginia was seventh with some 37,000.

The cuts are part of the sequester 鈥� Washington shorthand for the automatic spending reductions mandated by the Budget Control Act, which ended last summer鈥檚 debt-ceiling fight. McCain voted for the bill; Senators Ayotte and Graham joined 17 other Republicans in voting against it.

Both parties say the cuts 鈥� in both defense and discretionary spending 鈥� are abhorrent. But a special committee of 12 lawmakers from both chambers couldn鈥檛 find a formula for offsetting the planned reductions. As such, they鈥檙e slated to hit the economy in the new year.

The town halls 鈥� part educational events to explain the sequester and part grass-roots rallies to generate awareness 鈥� demonstrate the uncomfortable intermingling of policy and politics that has led to so much gridlock on Capitol Hill ahead of November鈥檚 elections.聽

On one hand, the Republican senators laid out the impact of the cuts in stark and evocative terms, citing numerous officials from the Obama administration and the military who have characterized the cuts as leading to a 鈥渉ollowed out鈥� US armed services. They also attempted to drive home just how much the cuts would affect military-dominated southeastern Virginia, with Graham saying sequestration would shackle the area 鈥渇or a generation.鈥�

On the other, they attempted to lay blame for the issue at the feet of President Obama, on a tour landing in four key swing states for November鈥檚 elections.

鈥淎t the end of the day, we have to make this a political campaign, and we have to challenge the president to call John [McCain] and say, 鈥楯ohn, let鈥檚 fix this one thing before the election,鈥� 鈥� Graham said.

Representative Rigell emphasized that without presidential leadership, nothing would get accomplished.

鈥淭here鈥檚 only one commander in chief. I鈥檓 not the commander in chief; Senator McCain isn鈥檛,鈥� Rigell said in a subsequent interview. 鈥淎s commander in chief, your chief of naval operations, is saying, 鈥楽ir, if this goes through, there will be severe and permanent [damage],鈥� full stop. As POTUS, [he should say], 鈥楴ot on my watch.鈥� 鈥�

McCain dismissed a question as to why the commonwealth鈥檚 two senators, Democrats Mark Warner and Jim Webb, were absent from the event, saying they were invited but that 鈥渢heir schedules or desires were otherwise.鈥�

Considering their background and public statements on the matter, those senators, as well as Sen. Bill Nelson (D) of Florida, are the least likely to need public pressure to support a deal on the sequester. In fact, they look to be key allies for McCain, Graham, and Ayotte in any sequester negotiation.

鈥淪enators Ayotte, Graham, and McCain could be making better use of their time by working across party lines to avert arbitrary cuts to defense programs instead of appearing at staged events in three or four swing states for obvious political reasons,鈥� said Senator Webb, who has one of the lengthiest defense r茅sum茅s of any Democratic lawmaker, in a statement.

鈥淚 am well aware of the implications of sequestration for our nation鈥檚 defense and industrial base. Once these politically motivated, staged events run their course, I am looking forward to beginning a bipartisan effort to achieve a responsible solution to our pressing fiscal challenges,鈥� he said.

Senator Warner has been a tireless advocate for a large, bipartisan solution to America鈥檚 debt problems. Plans proffered by Warner-led groups have outlined as much as $4 trillion in deficit reduction over the next decade, a level of fiscal responsibility that would more than alleviate the need for the sequester.

Likewise, Senator Nelson sent a letter to the Republican group stating his support for their aims.

鈥淵ou can count on my bipartisan cooperation,鈥� he concluded in the letter.

If bipartisan negotiations come to pass, McCain, Graham, and Ayotte are set to advocate a one-year fix to be agreed upon before November鈥檚 elections, thereby allowing the new Congress to settle the issue in 2013. And if negotiations begin, it is this core of Republican senators who will probably form the bulwark of support on the right for a deal.

Graham has argued that heading off the sequester could be done in the same way that the president鈥檚 commission on debt, known as Bowles-Simpson after its authors, proposed fixing America鈥檚 long-term debt situation: about $1 in higher tax revenue for every $3 in spending reductions.

Such an approach cuts directly against Republican orthodoxy embodied in the vaunted Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which north of 90 percent of congressional Republicans have signed in a promise to never raise taxes.

鈥淚 know it鈥檚 uncomfortable for Republicans to talk about revenues the way I鈥檓 talking about it, and I know some Democrats get nervous about cutting some social programs. But you know what, on our worst day, this is nothing compared to what our men and women are doing,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淗ow many battles have we fought?

It鈥檚 vital to make a deal before the elections, the group argued, because once the cuts take shape, the strain they put on businesses will be irreversible.

The main problem?

鈥淟ong story short, we鈥檙e miles apart right now,鈥� Graham said. 鈥淪omebody鈥檚 got to break this gridlock; and if we don鈥檛 get this right, all hell is going to break out throughout our defense community.鈥�

What that might look like stared the trio in the face on Monday evening.

鈥淪equestration infuriates me,鈥� said Mark Stet, a retired Navy officer from Virginia Beach, during his time to question the senators. 鈥淲hy it infuriates me is because my son died in Pakistan.鈥�

Staff Sgt. Mark Stet Jr. was killed in Pakistan鈥檚 restive North West Frontier Province by an improvised explosive device Feb. 3, 2010, according to a release from the Department of Defense.

Mr. Stet argued that a Congress that allows sharply reduced defense spending would be putting more of America鈥檚 service members at risk 鈥� and that the onus is on both sides to stand up and get a deal immediately.

鈥淢y son didn鈥檛 die for the crap that you people are doing in D.C.,鈥� he said. 鈥淒o you understand me?鈥�