Bush & Pombo Failed to Prevent North Korea From Developing Nuclear Weapons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2006

FACT CHECK: MCNERNEY ON NORTH KOREA

Bush, Pombo Failed to Prevent Nuclear Weapons Development

"The Jerry McNerney for Congress campaign today responded to a corrupt incumbent's desperate and dishonest television advertisement. Afraid to defend the Bush/Pombo record on North Korea, Pombo is distorting McNerney's comments in a new television ad.

"For years, Richard Pombo ignored North Korea's nuclear weapons program." said McNerney communications director Yoni Cohen. "Pombo made time to visit the Northern Mariana Islands, but did not consider it important to go on Congressional fact-finding missions to the Korean Peninsula. On Pombo's watch, North Korea developed and tested a nuclear weapon. Unlike Pombo, Jerry McNerney will put America's national security interests ahead of lobbyists' travel requests."

CLAIM: "Jerry McNerney wanted our military to look the other way while North Korea developed nuclear weapons." (Pombo TV Ad, "Veterans").

FACT: George Bush and Richard Pombo looked the other way while North Korea developed and tested a nuclear weapon. The diplomatic, economic and military actions Bush and Pombo took failed to prevent North Korea from ejecting IAEA inspectors, withdrawing from the NPT, or producing enough plutonium to build four to six additional nuclear weapons.

Jerry McNerney believes North Korea is a dangerous threat and opposes North Korea's nuclear weapons program. McNerney wants the United States to "contain North Korea's nuclear program with diplomacy and economic sanctions, [but] would not rule out military options." (Tracy Press, 10/17/06).

Ironically, neither George Bush nor Richard Pombo supports the measure Pombo has criticized McNerney for supposedly opposing in an Internet questionnaire. Neither Bush nor Pombo is currently pressing for the United States to "use military force to dismantle the North Korea nuclear weapons program."

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Jerry McNerney is a nationally recognized expert in wind engineering and renewable energy, with a PhD in mathematics. During his career in wind energy, McNerney's work contributed to saving the equivalent of approximately 30 million barrels of oil, or 8.3 million tons of carbon dioxide – the main greenhouse gas – as well as other harmful pollutants. The Democratic nominee for California's 11th Congressional District, Jerry has been married for 29 years and has three grown children." (source)