Senator Leahy: Against the war, but for the war profiteers?

The following statements can be found on Senator Leahy’s webpage….

I have been outspoken about the exaggerated and misleading statements of the Administration that led to military action in Iraq….

…The initial invasion in 2003 and the subsequent insurgency have destroyed the lives of many thousands of people…Still thousands more have been permanently disabled from grievous injuries.

…Since coming to the Senate, I have worked to help innocent, civilian victims of war. In 1989, I created a special fund now called the "Leahy War Victims Fund," which is administered by USAID to provide relief to civilians who have been disabled as a result of civil strife and warfare, including victims of landmines. In 2003, I authored a provision in the Emergency Wartime Supplemental Appropriations Act that authorized the use of Iraq relief and reconstruction funds to aid Iraqi civilians who suffered losses as a result of military operations there. The provision, similar to one I sponsored for Afghan civilians, has resulted in millions of dollars to assist communities and families who suffered losses as a result of U.S. bombs that missed their targets. (emphasis added)

How does this philosophy square with the following announcement in April 2007?….

From Patrick Leahy's website http://leahy.senate.gov/press/200704/041007.html

Leahy Announces $149 M. Army Contract Installment
For Burlington’s General Dynamics

BURLINGTON (Tuesday, April 10) – Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) announced Tuesday that General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products of Burlington will receive a $149 million installment for a contract awarded to the firm in April 2005. The contract, which has a total possible value of $900 million, is for the production of the Hydra-70 rocket. To date, the five-year contract has brought over $500 million to the firm, which maintains its high-level design, engineering, and product support center in Burlington.

The Hydra-70 rocket, which has seen extensive use in Afghanistan and Iraq, is a flexible and effective weapon that can be deployed from both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. It has become the world’s most widely used helicopter-launched weapon system. The Army intended to scale back production of the rocket system in 2003, but Congress, led by Leahy’s efforts, was instrumental in reversing the decision (emphasis added), based on its continuing usefulness and proven track record. As a result, funds for fiscal years 2005 through 2009, including the contract awarded to General Dynamics, will be allocated to continuing the system.

General Dynamics’ Burlington facility will oversee and manage the project. A sister facility in Arkansas will share production responsibilities.

“The smart, hardworking Vermonters at General Dynamics’ Burlington facility have once again been chosen by the Army to provide these highly effective rockets,” said Leahy. “Our air men and women depend on the usefulness and precision of this important tool on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Army continues to recognize the dependability of the rockets produced at the Burlington plant.”

Leahy is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and of its Defense Subcommittee, which handles the Senate’s work in writing the annual Defense Department budget bill, which includes the Army’s budget.