Tuesday, October 28, 2008

A Couple of Political Items...

As if we needed yet another reason to NOT vote for The One… along comes the WSJ with this op-ed (Will Obama Gut Defense?... Capitol Hill Democrats want to target the Pentagon). The lede grafs:


Barney Frank will not soon be named secretary of defense or, insha'Allah, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. So there's really no reason to fear that his recent call to cut defense spending by 25% is a harbinger of what to expect in an Obama administration.


Then again, maybe there is.


When it comes to defense, there are two Barack Obamas in this race. There is the candidate who insists, as he did last year in an article in Foreign Affairs, that "a strong military is, more than anything, necessary to sustain peace"; pledges to increase the size of our ground forces by 65,000 soldiers and 27,000 Marines while providing them with "first-rate equipment, armor, incentives and training"; and seems to be as gung-ho for a surge in Afghanistan as he was opposed to the one in Iraq.


And then there is the candidate who early this year recorded an ad for Caucus for Priorities, a far-left outfit that wants to cut 15% of the Pentagon's budget in favor of "education, healthcare, job training, alternative energy development, world hunger [and] deficit reduction."


"Thanks so much for the Caucus for Priorities for the great work you've been doing," says Mr. Obama in the ad, before promising to "cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending . . . slow our development of future combat systems . . . not develop new nuclear weapons."


Joe Biden also cut an ad for the group that was even more emphatic: "I'll tell you what we cannot afford . . . a trillion-dollar commitment to 'Star Wars,' new nuclear weapons, a thousand-ship Navy, the F-22 Raptor."


MY emphasis is on Ol’ Joe’s comments in that last paragraph. The National Missile Defense program has made some impressive progress over the course of the last few years, the Airborne Laser is in the flight testing stage of its development as we speak, and the Navy’s AEGIS/Standard Missile system proved it’s worth earlier this year. And that’s just one item on Ol’ Joe’s hit-list. Frequent readers of EIP should know how I feel about the Raptor, given as how the F-22 is something of a recurring theme for bitch-moan-and-complain posts in these parts.

As a military “survivor” of the Carter years I know only too well the negative effects of active cuts in the defense budget. Other, more recent veterans can attest to the impact “benign neglect” can have on national defense, as well… think Clinton, if you will. So… there’s ample reason and precedent for worry should the Democrats win the White House AND working majorities in Congress… not to mention the Democrat candidates’ own words in this space. As I said in the opening paragraph of this post: yet another reason not to vote for The One.


But Hey! What the Hell do I know, anyway? Well… it seems I know a little more than Joe Biden, if nothing else.


―:☺:―


I find I’m a little bit out of it when it comes to politics, of late. A great good deal of my disinterest has to do with the fact the election is over for me. I cast MY ballot last week and I’ve done all I can do… personally… to affect the outcome. So my mindset is “let’s just get this shi’ite OVER with, if you please.” The sooner, the better. Just one more week and then it’ll either be cryin’ time or slack-jaw amazement at one of the greatest comebacks in American political history. I’m still holding out hope for the latter, ya know.


Speaking of politics… Blog-Bud Phlegmmy has come up with her very own and oh-so-unique way of harvesting Presidential Timber from the political forest, and calls it “The Toothpick Test.” Her first installment is here, the second is here. Here’s a sample, just to whet your appetite, Gentle Reader:


Some have expressed surprise at the elevation here of toothpick to political barometer, but it is indeed a very humble and yet marvelous device on closer examination. Let us consider the lowly toothpick which has been with us as long as the domesticated feline. Paleontologists have found scrapings on the teeth of neanderthals, which would seem to indicate that the dilemma of dislodging chunks of meat and veg from the grille predates such modern fancy grooming niceties as Dippity-Do, eyelash curlers and banana clips.


Picture the poor average guy (Joe the Caveman) out dragging his knuckles around just for giggles, hoping one day his descendents will quit inbreeding long enough to vote republican, except that he can't quite concentrate on such abstract concepts because he's got a bit of wolverine rib meat stuck between his molars. Ouch! Perhaps Joe picked the spine from an obliging nettle or succulent, and thus was the first toothpick born.


Phlegmmy’s on-going series is the brightest spot in what has become a dark, dark political scenario… she’s both enlightening and entertaining, to say the VERY least… with Art!


Do go…

9 comments:

  1. I read your post with interest.

    I don't want to sound like some dullard so I will preface my comment by insisting I don't know much about defense spending.

    And, while I was overseas during that "Police Action" I do remember that our annual budget had to be spent or any surplus amount would be deducted from the new or next budget.

    So we said with a sarcastic smirk, "Piss on the taxpayers," and spent the leftover money on things we really didn't need.

    If you have that same kind of situation these days, multiplied by billions of dollars, then we are getting screwed and the incentive to save is gone.

    I think the whole budget thing is screwed up and should be redone.

    I know when I worked in R%D everything was geared toward cost overruns where the most money was made.

    We made rescue beacons used by downed pilots in Vietnam as a supplier for Motorola and those costs were jacked up when we shipped them to Motorola.

    I am almost positive Motorola jacked the prices up again when they shipped them to the government.

    When I was in the CIC, there were people in the Pentagon whose duty it was to make money. I have stood on the stage in the Pentagon and pulled flip chart pages off for commanding generals who forecast ways to make money for their units or to increase their budgets.

    The days of $1.98 breakfasts are over. I am sorry to say there is no competitive bidding on eggs, bacon or ham, or breakfasts would still cost $1.98 if bidding was done as it is in the Far East.

    Toyota has a policy where they go back to their suppliers each year and instead of signing a deal for a part at the same price or a higher price they come in with a lower price.

    The supplier has an option of taking it or leaving it and most find ways to take it and still earn money.

    In the end, Toyota can keep selling cars cheaper than those made in this country where that supply process works in reverse.

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  2. Cut military down while so many countries/organizations in the world want to cut us down by any means necessary. That's just about the stupidest thing.

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  3. I'm waiting with bated breath for the outcome of this election.

    And Phlegmmy's Toothpick Test ROCKS.

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  4. I am not waiting for the election to be over quite yet. Seems like in the last few days the tide is starting to turn, the polls are tightening up, and more and more and more suspicious garbage is being turned up about Obama. Given just a little more time, I REALLY BELIEVE McCain/Palin can overtake him.

    At the very least, when this is over...NO ONE out there Republican OR Democrat has any excuse for not knowing exactly what Obama is and what he is likely to do to this country.

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  5. Aw, shucks, Buck - thanks for the kind words. I'm glad I could lighten the mood a wee bit and bring a little humour to others, as well as myself in what has been a tense and very stressful election cycle. God bless us, every one.

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  6. Well, the election will be over next week if Obama wins the first count.

    If McCain somehow comes out ahead, however, gird your loins for months of protracted court battles from the Dem side. Keep in mind the means Obama used to win his first seats. Also keep in mind that the the press and pollsters have been prepping this battlefield for more than a year.

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  7. I too see interesting information coming out about The One - and it's not positive at all. But is it too little too late?

    We'll know by next Wed. AM. I plan to do my bit on Tuesday in the early hours, wear my "I Voted Today" sticker, go home and not watch any news programs. Go to bed at my normal hour and wake up to a new world. Whether I'll wake to a feeling of joy or nausea will be the question.

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  8. hmmm...yes, I'm sure all the troops who've had to dodge IED's in their "hilbilly armored" humvee's would be *so* glad to have military spending cut.

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  9. Abe: Interesting points, all. I didn't know you worked in the Pentagon once upon a time. That said... My experiences with unit Operations and Maintenance (O&M) budgets was the same as yours: use it or lose it. I always railed against that practice, to no avail, given as how I was pretty danged low on the totem pole. But... I agree: the whole federal budget process needs serious reformation, and not just within DoD.

    Jenny sez: That's just about the stupidest thing.

    Agreed. But I believe we've yet to see stupidity in full-bloom, assuming The One wins...

    Christina: Yep... on pins and needles here, too!

    Sharon sez: At the very least, when this is over...NO ONE out there Republican OR Democrat has any excuse for not knowing exactly what Obama is and what he is likely to do to this country.

    I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but did you read what Melanie Phillips had to say about Obama last week? I really SHOULD have linked and discussed her article last week... but didn't.

    And yeah: I believe McCain IS catching up.... kinda like being down two TDs with two minutes left on the clock, Obama has the ball and McCain is out of time outs. It CAN be done, but it's gonna be amazing if he pulls it off.

    Phlegmmy sez: Aw, shucks, Buck - thanks for the kind words.

    Mon plaisir, La Phlegm. Mon plaisir!

    Dave sez: If McCain somehow comes out ahead, however, gird your loins for months of protracted court battles from the Dem side. Keep in mind the means Obama used to win his first seats. Also keep in mind that the the press and pollsters have been prepping this battlefield for more than a year.

    Yep. It's just inconceivable The One could lose, innit? In certain circles, anyway.

    Kris sez: I plan to do my bit on Tuesday in the early hours, wear my "I Voted Today" sticker, go home and not watch any news programs.

    Wow, Kris... you're a better person than I! Or stronger... or something. I'll be glued to the teevee all night and waaay into the wee hours. Hopefully.

    Mezzo sez: hmmm...yes, I'm sure all the troops who've had to dodge IED's in their "hilbilly armored" humvee's would be *so* glad to have military spending cut.

    Indeed, Mezzo. OTOH, cuts of the sort the Dems are making noise about usually aren't felt until the NEXT war rolls around. The troops that have to fight the next war are the ones I'm worried about...

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Just be polite... that's all I ask.