Florida GOP Rep. Allen West says he voted for the debt-reduction compromise because he learned in the military that if you take a plan that reaches 75 percent of your objectives and you execute it to 100 percent capability “you’re doing the right thing.” The tea-party backed freshman congressman also told Fox News’ Greta Van Susteren Monday the deal is a starting point to invigorate the moribund economy, as indicated by the opportunity to vote on a balanced budget amendment.
“Well, I think that when you look at the conversation that’s changing in Washington, D.C. — who would have thought a year ago that we’d be talking about cutting spending?” West said. “Yes, we did raise the debt limit, but we raised the debt limit by saying we’re going to have equal or exceeding spending cuts.
“You have an opportunity to have a balanced budget amendment — something I think we have not had in 15 years,” he said. “You do have the opportunity to have cuts in federal government spending, something that we have not had. So we’re starting to, I think, turn this thing around for the first time in quite some time.”
Van Susteren wondered whether the debt-reduction deal was problematic as many of the spending cuts are scheduled to take effect after the 2012 election, and the American people are worried there is no absolute guarantee the full discussed cuts will be implemented.
“I think the American people have to somewhat manage their expectations,” said West, a former Army lieutenant colonel. “I’ll give you a great example from a military aspect: This was a 70, 75 percent plan — there’s no doubt about it — I read the bill.
“In the military, you can take a 70, 75 percent plan, and if you can execute it very well to 100 percent capability, then you’re doing the right thing,” he said. “If we sat around right now worried about coming up with a 100 percent plan, then we’re never going to get anywhere — and I think that’s the most important thing that we must do.”
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