I love this story because it's good news for our troops and reveals an inconvenient truth the Democrats are trying hard to keep from their more rabid anti-war base. There are certainly political fights left, but Bush is going to stay the course and these vehicles will help. I lifted up a key quote. Almost 4,000 of them to be delivered by year end and the story quotes a Democrat other than Lieberman in a positive way on the war:
The Marines, who have not had a fatality in more than 300 attacks on MRAPs, have about 200 of the vehicles in Iraq, said Marine Lt. Gen. John Castellaw, the deputy commandant for programs and resources.
WASHINGTON — Military contractors will deliver 3,900 new armored vehicles to the Pentagon by the end of the year, and at least 3,500 of the vehicles will go to combat troops in the most dangerous areas of Iraq, military officials said Wednesday.
The Pentagon's program to build the new Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles is "the fastest moving major program in the Defense Department," said John Young, chairman of the Pentagon's MRAP task force.
In briefings with Defense Secretary Robert Gates, "he made crystal clear that vehicles delivered sooner within this calendar year was most important to him, as these vehicles offered the potential to increase the safety of our deployed forces," Young said.
Gates met with senators Tuesday to discuss his request to shift the money. He told USA TODAY the Pentagon has "found a way to accelerate production between now and the end of the year, and it's going to take a little extra money."
Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, applauded the move. "It is imperative to get these vehicles delivered to the field as quickly as possible," he said.
The Bush administration, Skelton said, had been slow to recognize the need for MRAPs. It included only $600 million in its budget for the vehicles, a request Congress increased by $4 billion, he said.
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