From Special Report with Bret Baier | Monday, May 28, 2012

On why Mitt Romney enjoys a 24-point lead over Obama among veterans:

I think it [the demographics of military veterans] helps explain the huge gap between the Republicans, whether it’s a Romney or a McCain, in getting support from the veterans. [But] it isn’t only demographic — it’s history.
The fact is that in the Vietnam era, the Democrats were the anti-war party. And we heard Obama today essentially doing penance for a country that spat on soldiers who returned from the Vietnam War. And what he didn’t say is that in large part that was the work of the American left; it wasn’t the work of the American right who supported the war.
Democrats were the anti-war element in the country, the anti-war party — particularly in 1972. And they inherited the stain of this association with the left that really denigrated soldiers, which is the word that Obama used and he said it shouldn’t ever happen again — so in some ways he is trying to undo this legacy of 50 years. But that’s why for the 50 years Democrats were always seen as the weak and anti-war party, weak on national defense.
But it isn’t only that. It isn’t only history. It continues. Democrats have for decades used the defense budget as a piggy bank for social spending. And we see it today — the sequester of half a trillion dollars… which the secretary of defense under Obama said would hollow out the military and be a catastrophe.
Republicans are opposing it and trying to get out of it. And what are Democrats doing? Leaving it in place and using it as a stick and a blackmail weapon against Republicans in return for trying to get [an] increase in social spending or increase in taxes. So who stands up for the weaponry and the training and the protection that the soldiers are going to have to have? It’s the Republicans.
So it isn’t only history and demographics. It is actually the standing of the parties on policy.