Quayle Sounding Like Candidate Again

by A.C. Szul

According to an NBC news poll released Friday, Quayle runs fourth in a GOP presidential horse race, consistently drawing about 8 percent of the vote. By contrast, Texas Governor George W. Bush led with 36 percent, followed by Elizabeth Dole with support from about 1 in 4 Republicans.]

(AR) WASHINGTON -- He hasn't announced a presidential bid, nor has he held public office since serving as vice president in the Bush Administration seven years ago, but Dan Quayle can still draw a crowd.

Even after a last minute time change, an enthusiastic and vocal crowd of nearly 200 came to hear the former vice president speak on America's national security.

"We need to return to a credible and moral leadership in the United States," he tells the audience on a balmy Washington, D.C. winter afternoon at the Heritage Foundation, located several blocks from the U.S. Capitol where President Clinton's impeachment hearings were held.

"Today there is a leadership crisis. There's a sinking feeling around the world that the U.S. has lost its will to lead," he says.

Looking refreshed, sounding confident and quite possibly ready to get back into presidential politics, Quayle says that he doesn't believe a presidential candidate should be taken seriously, "unless he or she takes foreign policy seriously."

Questioning the popular perception that "the world is quiet," Quayle cites several examples he thinks demonstrate the contrary. While Quayle says some folks believe that China might become the "Germany of 100 years ago," he wonders where all those "Russian scientists have been working lately?" Iran, maybe, how about China or North Korea, he asks.

"Let's hope that we handle China better than we did with Germany," he muses. "It took two world wars to bring Germany into the family of democracy."

Quayle doesn't believe the Clinton Administration has treated the U.S. military well either. "Our military expenditures are less than 3 percent of the GDP," Quayle says. "That's the lowest level since 1938." He says that even with modest increases, there is still a huge pay gap between military and civilian pay.

"Our military is over deployed, and under appreciated," he says. "There is no substitute for a strong military."

"Let's face it, as the only superpower we're going to be the target of every nutcase out there," he says.

"Bill Clinton and Al Gore hyperventilate over global warming," Quayle says. "But what about global proliferation?"

Quayle points at the Aegis as an example of an effective missle defense system. He believes that the ABM Treaty, signed in 1972 with a state that no longer exists, is outdated and shouldn't be used as a reason against the U.S. installing the Aegis system to protect against missles that may threaten its shores. He adds that for long-term missle defense the U.S. needs to invest in space-based technology.

"If we don't further develop an effective missle defense system, like Aegis, then other countries will," he says. "With this administration it's not a defense policy, but defense politics. We need to do what is in the best interest of America." He adds that this has become even more important now since other countries recently tested missles that have the potential to reach U.S. shores.

Quayle says that the U.S has the technological edge but that the current administration has "squandered it." Political will and determination, he says, is real leadership.

U.S. military procurement has been cut 50 percent since 1992, and our planes and military equipment are quickly aging, says Quayle. He believes that the U.S. needs to invest in technology today to have it tomorrow, and says the "R&D doesn't happen overnight."

Addressing the Clinton Administration's alleged devotion to polls, Quayle says that following polls is not leadership. "We have to do what is right, and national security ought to be our highest priority."

"We've had enough of six years of slick salesmanship. No more hollow promises and on-the-job training," Quayle proclaims,.