Aspin’s Axiom
If you give Congress a chance to vote on both sides of an issue, it will always do it.
When the House of Representatives voted against spending $988 million to build the first five MX missiles after having previously approved an appropriation of $2.5 billion for research and development of the four-stage multiple-warhead ‘Peacekeeper’ ICBM, Representative Les Aspin (D. Wisc.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee (and a future Secretary of Defense), told the New York Times (December 9th, 1982):
“It was a significant vote an important vote. But it doesn’t mean the MX is dead. If you give Congress a chance to vote on both sides of an issue it will always do it.”
And in 1985, after more than two years of additional backing and forthing, Congress eventually voted to proceed with the construction of twenty-one of the missiles.
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