Republicans Criticize Obama for Horses and Bayonets Debate Statement

Republican leaders immediately responded to President Barack Obama’s horses and bayonets comment during the presidential debate. His critics said that the president brushed aside the concerns about the reduced Navy.

During the final presidential debate, Republican candidate Mitt Romney said that the Navy had fewer ships than it did in 1917. President Obama argued that the modern nuclear-powered aircraft carriers can’t be compared to the old battleships. He also added that the nation’s armed forces have fewer horses and bayonets.

In 1916, the Navy had 245 ships. This was also the year when President Woodrow Wilson signed into law the Naval Act of 1916, which led to the modernization of the US Navy. At present, the nation has 285 ships, which is not the lowest since 1916. The lowest ship force was reached during the Bush administration, at 278 ships in 2007.

Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell and Republican former governor George Allen, who is seeking a Senate seat, tried to connect the comment the president made to the defense cuts that would take effect next year. Allen said that a shrinking military is not a joke.

Timothy Kaine, a Democratic former governor, and Allen’s opponent in the election, gave a statement that was not a praise or criticism of President Obama’s statement. He said that he would work with both parties to make strategic investments in the military.

But even Romney supporters agreed that the criticism regarding President Obama’s statement was uncalled for. They say that war is now fought differently compared to the past. But some voters were turned off by the statement, which they described as arrogant.

There are people who are not bothered by the president’s horses and bayonets statement. Some say that Romney’s aggressive stance in China was more worrisome. Some say that Romney made them uneasy.