Romney Campaign Press Release - Obama White House In State of Denial Over Defense Cuts

"President Obama's advisers may have come up with the idea for hundreds of billions of dollars in devastating defense cuts, but the White House doesn't want the credit. After warnings about job losses and a hollowed-out military, President Obama is all too eager to pass the blame around for his own idea. As president, Mitt Romney won't play political games with our defense budget." – Amanda Henneberg, Romney Campaign Spokesperson

Today, The Obama White House Ducked Responsibility For Sequestration – And Even Tried To Blame Republicans:

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, On Sequestration: "It Was Celebrated As A Victory By Republicans, Including Notable House Republicans At The Time." REPORTER: "Mr. Woodward's book asserts the idea of sequestration came from the White House, can you confirm that?" ... CARNEY: "So let's not forget as if any of us could ever, the Budget Control Act not just passed in majorities in both parties in both houses. It was celebrated as a victory by Republicans, including notable House Republicans at the time. There seems a bit of revisionism in the way it's presented now as a political argument. It produced a bit of a conflict at the top at what is right and what is wrong when Republicans supported the act last summer." (Jay Carney, White House Press Briefing, 9/10/12)

But President Obama's Top Deputies Were The Ones Who Came Up With The Idea Of Massive Defense Cuts:

President Obama's Administration Was Behind The Idea Of "Massive Defense Cuts." "The book 'The Price of Politics,' by Washington Post Associate Editor Bob Woodward, makes it clear the idea for the draconian spending cuts originated in the White House – and not in Congress. According to the book, excerpts of which were obtained by POLITICO ahead of the Sept. 11 release, President Barack Obama's top deputies believed the prospect of massive defense cuts would compel Republicans to agree to a deficit-cutting grand bargain. Then-OMB Director Jack Lew, now the White House chief of staff, and White House Legislative Affairs Director Rob Nabors pitched the idea to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Woodward writes." (Austin Wright, "Bob Woodward Book Could Bolster Republican Attack On W.H.," Politico, 9/7/12)

"The Idea For The Draconian Spending Cuts Originated In The White House – And Not In Congress." "A forthcoming book could give new ammunition to Republican hawks eager to blame the Obama administration for looming, across-the-board cuts to the defense budget. The book 'The Price of Politics,' by Washington Post Associate Editor Bob Woodward, makes it clear the idea for the draconian spending cuts originated in the White House – and not in Congress." (Austin Wright, "Bob Woodward Book Could Bolster Republican Attack On W.H.," Politico, 9/7/12)

President Obama's Top Deputies, Including Jack Lew, Pitched The Idea Of Defense Cuts To Senator Harry Reid. "According to the book, excerpts of which were obtained by POLITICO ahead of the Sept. 11 release, President Barack Obama's top deputies believed the prospect of massive defense cuts would compel Republicans to agree to a deficit-cutting grand bargain. Then-OMB Director Jack Lew, now the White House chief of staff, and White House Legislative Affairs Director Rob Nabors pitched the idea to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Woodward writes." (Austin Wright, "Bob Woodward Book Could Bolster Republican Attack On W.H.," Politico, 9/7/12)

And President Obama Refused Requests By His Fellow Democrats To Abandon The Devastating Cuts:

Earlier This Year, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Asked President Obama "To Reconsider The Billions Of Defense Cuts." "In mid-2012, the House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, requested a sit-down to ask Obama to reconsider the billions of defense cuts that would kick in automatically as part of the 2011 budget deal. ... They were asking for an alternative state of cuts, or any kind of plan that would keep local employers – and, by implication, local contributors – happy." (Glenn Thrush, Obama's Last Stand, 2012)

"Obama Told The Former Speaker What He Had Been Saying For Months – That He Wasn't Budging On The Defense Cuts." "Obama told the former speaker what he had been saying for months – that he wasn't budging on the defense cuts. Doing so would surrender his only leverage in forcing House Republicans to accept the expiration of tax cuts for the wealthy – the only weapon he had against their efforts 'to delegitimize me,' as he put it. Moreover, he bluntly called on Hill Democrats to reorient their priorities – from them to him. 'Look, guys,' he told Pelosi, Harry Reid, and several other congressional leaders, according to a person briefed in detail on the interaction. 'I plan on winning this race. If I don't win, then anything we say now doesn't matter. I plan on winning this race. So let's figure out how to win this race.'" (Glenn Thrush, Obama's Last Stand, 2012)

Why Is President Obama Now Eager To Duck Responsibility? These Cuts Will Devastate Our Military And Jeopardize More Than A Million Jobs:

President Obama's Defense Cuts Could Put As Many As 1.5 Million Jobs At Risk. "'Sequestration ($1 trillion in cuts) assumes across the board spending cuts with losses peaking in the 2013-2014 time period, with 1 million to 1.5 million jobs lost and that could increase the U.S. unemployment rate by nearly 1 percentage point in the near term,' said Lt. Col. Elizabeth Robbins, a spokeswoman of the Department of Defense." (Sean Gorman, "Rep. Randy Forbes Says 1.53 Million Defense Jobs Are 'At Risk,'" Politifact, 10/12/11)

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Says Defense Cuts Will Result In The "Smallest Ground Force Since 1940, The Smallest Number Of Ships Since 1915 And The Smallest Air Force In Its History." "Defense Secretary Leon Panetta spelled out a doomsday scenario Monday that he said could occur if Congress fails to take action to avoid a $1 trillion cut in defense spending over the next decade. Panetta, responding to a letter from Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham, said cuts of nearly $100 billion a year would leave the United States with its smallest ground force since 1940, the smallest number of ships since 1915 and the smallest air force in its history." (David Alexander, "Panetta Spells Out Budget Cut Doomsday Fears," Reuters, 11/14/11)

Secretary Panetta: "Guarantees That We Are Going To Hollow The Force And Devastate Our National Security." PANETTA: "And let me tell you something if sequester goes into effect, you can throw all of this out the window. Sequester doubles the numbers of cuts, does it through that crazy formula, and guarantees that we are going to hollow the force and devastate our national security." (Secretary Leon Panetta, Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee On Defense, U.S. House Of Representatives, Testimony, 2/16/12)