(2004-03-10) -- Senator John Forbes Kerry today defended his 1995 attempt to cut $1.5 billion from the U.S. intelligence budget, saying "the bill failed...no harm, no foul."

The bill in question, S.1290 introduced September 29, 1995 by Mr. Kerry, included the following proposal in Sec. 3, paragraph (7):

Reduce the Intelligence budget by $300 million in each of fiscal years 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, and 2000.
However, Senator Kerry said he only introduced the bill because he "knew it would not garner a single co-sponsor and would never get out of committee."

"It’s not like I was some sort of super-effective legislator, building coalitions for my ideas and persuading my colleagues to make the tough, responsible decision to reduce our national intelligence capabilities," said Mr. Kerry. "You can’t blame me for the intelligence failures that may have led to the 9/11 attacks. My bill failed. In any case, that was nine long years ago. I can’t be held accountable for every youthful indiscretion."

Mr. Kerry went on to talk about how his Vietnam combat experience has prepared him to lead America’s ’police action on terror’.