Reply #13: An El Toro controversy for the election season [View All]

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After hearing Sen. John Kerry's "solution" to a local military housing crunch, we're left wondering whether anyone will be able to stand seven months of presidential campaigning and all the shameless pandering that goes along with it.

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In the costly Southern California real estate market, military housing allowances don't go very far. Most military families have to pay far more than their allowances to find any available housing, explains Ken Lee, an American Legion-affiliated spokesman for military families who also supports reopening a commissary at the site (something we oppose).

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Sen. Kerry's fellow Democrat, Irvine Mayor Larry Agran, criticized the senator's idea, arguing that the base housing is old and would need significant renovation. Officals at Camp Pendleton have said that the commute is too far and renovation too expensive, so even military officials are not exactly clamoring for this idea. Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez's office told us the Navy and Marines haven't been receptive to the idea of renovating housing at the former El Toro base.

But even if this was the right idea, Sen. Kerry used the issue to take a cheap shot at the president. Which is a reminder that we all better get used to months of sound bites, mischaracterizations and oversimplification of serious issues as the presidential race heats up.

http://www2.ocregister.com/ocrweb/ocr/article.do?id=87664§ion=COMMENTARY&subsection=EDITORIALS&year=2004&month=3&day=28