Quayle Proposes 1% to 2% Limit on Growth of Defense Spending

MOORE, Okla. — Republican vice presidential nominee Dan Quayle, who has made the issues of defense and national security central to his campaign, said Thursday that defense spending will be limited to cost-of-living increases or at most 1% to 2% real growth in the next five years.

“Like other aspects of the budget, we are not going to be able to afford in the next two to five years some of the very positive increases that we had in the early days of the Reagan Administration,” he said during a press conference here.

“We do have budget constraints, and we understand that.”

Welcomes Comparison

In other comments, Quayle said he welcomed a comparison between his qualifications and those of Gov. Michael S. Dukakis. The Democratic presidential nominee and Quayle have been trading jabs all week.

“He’s the one that has the inexperience,” the Indiana senator said. “He’s the one that does not have the comprehension or understanding of national security issues.”

In addition, Quayle took offense at Dukakis’ point of calling Quayle “J. Danforth Quayle” in what appeared to be an attempt to accent the senator’s family wealth.

“My name, James Danforth Quayle, comes from a friend of my father’s named Jimmy Danforth, an only child from a family from Chicago (who) was killed in World War II,” Quayle said testily. “It is not a family name, and it is not in the reference that he is trying to refer to it.”

Calls Grades ‘Irrelevant’

In other comments, Quayle once again refused to release his full school records, saying that his admittedly average grades in college were “an irrelevant issue.”

“Winston Churchill was not a great student, but he was a great leader,” he said.

Quayle said also that he intends to hammer away on “the issues” to counter polls showing that most Americans are skeptical about his ability to assume the presidency.

“Dan Quayle is going to continue to speak out on jobs and opportunity and speak out on fundamentals of peace,” Quayle said. “In due time, Americans will see the real Dan Quayle, what he stands for, because I’m going to continue in that direction.”

Quayle’s press conference, the first he has held in almost two weeks, followed a question-and-answer session with Jaycees here. He later flew to Tulsa and Kansas City for rallies and campaign speeches.