The American Spectator

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After sticking my neck out (common practice for a Defense Contractor) -- I checked out George W. Bush's official biography and confirmed he was an F-102 pilot.

The F-102 has its design roots going back to 1949 and build history through the mid-50's. It was replaced in active Air Force (NORAD) service by the F-106. Flying a worn-out, used jet fighter in the early 70's qualifies as a "risky scheme"... Uh -- certainly more risky than a Vietnam army war correspondent with a personal bodyguard (right Mr. Gore?). Whenever the liberals get over chest beating as foreign policy expertise (unless that is all they have) they'll get down to the real issues in the Iraq debate.

p>As far as the JCS reluctance to go to war with Iraq - how could you recommend a SECOND FRONT after taking inventory of an Armed Force that still shows starvation symptoms after eight years of SecDefs Aspen and Cohen? Planners and decision makers who wear the uniform are more concerned about readiness and logistics-than the political musings of spinners trying to avoid a Democratic foreign policy disaster prior to the November elections. br> -- Mike Horn br> LTC, Military Intelligence br> US Army Reserve, retired br> Dublin, CA /p> p> The F-106 Delta Dart was built by Convair. It was an all-weather interceptor based on the F-102 Delta Dagger. The F-106 had more powerful engines and structural reinforcements. About 300 were built. Do a Google search on F-106 for numerous links & photos. br> -- John Manguso br> San Antonio, TX

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