(WSJ) Okinawa? Marines Out, Says Barney Frank

July 12, 2010, 3:02 PM JST.

Okinawa? Marines Out, Says Barney Frank.

Okinawans seeking to oust the U.S. Marines from their midst have a prominent new advocate in Washington: Veteran Democratic Congressman Barney Frank.

The aptly named Mr. Frank, one of the most quotable politicians from either of America’s big two political parties, has been hitting the talk show circuit over the past week with memorable one-liners on the matter. “Most people, I think, that I talk to, thought the Marines left Okinawa when John Wayne died,” he said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” show on July 8, referring to the long-gone Hollywood star’s World War II movies. “It’s unclear to me what they’re doing there.”

He went on: “I don’t want to see China given a free hand over there vis-a-vis Taiwan, but 15,000 Marines aren’t going to land on the Chinese mainland and confront millions of Chinese soldiers. You need some air power and sea power.”

The liberal Massachusetts Democrat was given the microphone in recent days after penning a widely-cited odd-couple op-ed with libertarian Texas Republican Rep. Ron Paul on July 6 calling for sharp cuts in the Pentagon budget, particularly on spending abroad. While the piece itself doesn’t mention Okinawa, Mr. Frank cites Japan’s southern island repeatedly in interviews as a prime exhibit of what he considers wasteful World War II legacy spending that has become irrelevant in the 21st century.

“We don’t need 15,000 Marines in Okinawa,” Mr. Frank told National Public Radio July 10. “They’re hanged-over (sic) from a war that ended 65 years ago.”

Many American policymakers would beg to differ, as would the Marines. Lt. Gen Keith J. Stalder, Commander of U.S. Marine Corps Forces Pacific told The Wall Street Journal in February that the Marine presence in Okinawa was a crucial part of American force projection in Asia, a factor preserving broader regional stability. “There is nothing that happens in the region that will not affect Japan in a very negative way if it’s not contained quickly or prevented,” he said.

It’s unclear just how far Mr. Frank can go with his crusade. While he is influential within his party, his clout is greatest in the House Financial Services Committee, which he chairs — not military policy. But at a time of economic angst, and growing pressure to cut spending, Mr. Frank’s rhetoric could gain traction, especially as leaders in Okinawa make clear they don’t want the bases there either.

“We don’t get any jobs out of Marines in Okinawa…,” Mr. Frank asserted to MSNBC host Keith Olbermann.