Word: aspine
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...Aspin, by contrast, is respected for his abiding fascination with defense policy, a strength he will need in the coming budget battles. "He's the only one who can stand toe-to-toe with Nunn and slug it out," said a Pentagon insider. The President relies almost exclusively on Aspin for military advice, though the Secretary's foreign-policy influence has been reduced because of his illness. The Pentagon chief has assembled one of the finest teams of national-security wonks anywhere in government. The problem, however, is the White House has held up his nominations because the roster failed...
...wanted for decades. A Wisconsin native who graduated as a Phi Beta Kappa from Yale, triple-majored at Oxford (economics, politics, history) and earned his doctorate in economics at M.I.T., he first worked in the Pentagon as an aide to then Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. Aspin entered Congress in 1971 with a maverick, antiwar attitude. Serving on the House Armed Services Committee, he earned a reputation as "Dr. No," but during the 1980s moved toward a more centrist position...
...Though Aspin ranked seventh in seniority on the committee, his expertise on military matters so impressed his colleagues that he beat out two contenders, including the chairman, for the top job in 1985. He promptly showed his shrewd, dealmaking side by setting up what is euphemistically called the Member Services group on his staff. Aide Larry Smith, now counselor-designee at the Pentagon, ran what was really an old-fashioned political pork operation, assuring committee members that their interests would be looked after in exchange for their vote on committee affairs. Committee members who went along got along. Those...
...Aspin shone during the Gulf War, when he accurately predicted one week before the air attacks that "prospects are high for a rapid victory with light to moderate casualties." His casualty projections for the allied forces were far below the Pentagon's own figures -- and were right. He told Bush he supported the operation but warned it would require congressional approval. Within days, Bush sent a letter asking for congressional support. Had he not, Aspin told his policy advisers privately, "I'd have led the move to impeach...
...study, which impressed Clinton. "They think alike," said an aide to the Secretary. "They both like substance and structure." Option C of his study, which called for $60 billion in cuts from Bush's program over four years, became the cornerstone of Clinton's defense program. During the campaign, Aspin wrote the defense plank in the Democratic platform and became Clinton's sole briefer on security issues for the campaign debates. "It was pretty predictable that Aspin would become Secretary," concludes one of his aides...