Jon Soltz, Phil Gingrey Debate Funding For New Line Of Fighter Jets, The F-22 Raptor (VIDEO)

Jon Soltz, Phil Gingrey Debate Funding For New Line Of Fighter Jets, The F-22 Raptor (VIDEO)

Jon Soltz, Chairman of VoteVets.org and a frequent HuffPost blogger, faced off against Georgia Congressman Phil Gingrey (R) over funding for the extremely expensive new line of fighter jets, the F-22 Raptor, a line of jets that Defense Secretary Robert Gates thinks we should cease.

Soltz argued that the funding going towards the F-22 line would be much better spent on replacing worn-out equipment for troops in Iraq, who have an immediate need for better armor, than funding a new line of fighter jets that's essentially unnecessary because no one threatens our air superiority in the first place.

Schuster interjected that if we need these new jets so badly, how come we have yet to use a single one that has already been produced?

Gingrey replied that the F-22 Raptor is absolutely necessary to maintain our dominance of the sky, and just because we haven't had to use them yet doesn't mean we don't need them. He cited our submarines and ballistic missiles as examples, but also included this rather odd and very personal analogy:

I have a .44 Magnum that I keep under my pillow every night for the last 15 years. Everybody knows I've got and I haven't had to use it. It's the same thing with this F-22 Raptor.

We hope the Congressman is a gentle sleeper. Watch the spirited debate below.

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