Fox News had a quick story up on Friday, reporting:
The Obama administration has asked the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff to cut the Pentagon's budget request for the fiscal year 2010 by more than 10 percent -- about $55 billion -- a senior U.S. defense official tells FOX News.
To which I say hooray, if true.
However, although there has long been a sense that Obama would like the Pentagon to have a smaller slice of the pie, I still, two days later, haven't been able to find any independent news of this particular claim. About the only mention I can find (that isn't just repeating the Fox story as gospel, I mean) is this bit from Reuters [emph. added]:
The Obama administration last week directed the U.S. Defense Department to make substantial cuts to a budget proposal prepared under the leadership of Defense Secretary Robert Gates for fiscal year 2010, which added more than $60 billion, according to InsideDefense.com, a trade publication.
Fox News said the White House was seeking cuts of more than 10 percent, but U.S. officials declined to comment.
Rather than relying on a single anonymous source (though that never causes problems, right?), it's probably best to wait for a little more verification before drawing any firm conclusions, I'd think.
How say you, Greater Wingnuttia?
MEDIA BLACKOUT: still not a peep out of the mainstream media (other than Fox News).
[...]
Update III: Tommy emails: "We're all dead men walking."
[...]
Update X: As of 10:02AM, no mainstream media outlets -- other than Fox News -- are reporting on this debacle. Although the wheezing New York Times ("Obama Cultivates Military") and the Philadelphia Inquirer ("Army announces rise in suicide rates for 2008") found time to report on more important issues this morning.
-- Doug Ross
... the terrorists are praising Allah while plotting their next move.
-- The Jawa Report
This should make America’s enemies happy, including the American Left …
Well, if Obambi goes ahead and repeals don’t ask don’t tell, allowing openly gay men and women to serve, the cost of paying soldiers will go down, since 10% say they would not re-enlist or extend their service, and another 14% would consider not re-enlisting or extending their service.
-- Stop The ACLU
“Billions for free abortions on demand, expanded welfare programs and general pork for the buying of votes, not one PENNY for defense!”
-- Anti-Idiotarian Rotweiler
So while he can spend trillions to combat STD's, build golf courses, and prop up Hollywood, national security seems to be low on the priority list.
[...]
Sleep tight America, there may not be too many days left or nights that you can.
-- Jammie Wearing Fool
Then we begin to sense a theme …
... those would be weapons systems that actually employ people, create jobs, and help defend the nation. That may not be as sexy, figuratively and literally, as buying billions of condoms …
-- Ed Morrissey/Hot Air
President Obama wants to spend a trillion dollars on welfare, condoms, international STD prevention, 600,000 new government jobs and handouts for illegal immigrants...
-- Gateway Pundit
When someone says “The Pentagon needs more Stealth Bombers,” this president seems to think they’re talking about Bill Ayers.
[...]
Just last week, Obama swore: “I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution.”
With what?
Condoms?
-- Cold Fury
And yet there's all this money for condoms and bee insurance, apparently.
-- Ace of Spades
And if it's not condoms, it's that other dreaded C-word.
Missile defense has shown to be very successful under Bush. Some are saying it is operational now. But I'd expect that to be shelved as Obama does everything possible to make us weaker and less secure. Instead of deploying the ultimate anti-ballistic missile weapon, Obama instead makes nice with Putin in a most Carter-esque way.
-- Environmental Republican
Strategic retreat, indeed. B. Hussein Obama hinted at such a retreat in his interview with Al-Arabiya, looking back thirty years (the Carter administration) to a purported U.S.-Arab Golden Age.
-- The Texas Scribbler
But really, this all just part of a larger plan, right?
It Begins, The Dismantling Of the Military
-- Say Anything
OBAMA MAKING GOOD ON PROMISE TO WEAKEN OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE
[...]
THIS SHOWS WHAT OBAMA'S REAL PRIORITY REALLY IS: WEAKENING AMERICA.
-- The Astute Bloggers
(Thanks to Maru at WTF Is It Now?!? for the moving pic.)
[Added] See this later post for more solid numbers.
3 comments:
I think you'll find that due to the Global Economic Crisis, that most terrorist organisations have downsized by at least 10% anyway. So in relative terms there's no defence cut.
And just for the record, I still smile at "!!!1!!!" and variations, even though The Editors are the masters of this...
The DoD budgets cut will soon enough reach a 50% reduction from its historical highs. That has nothing to do with GOP vs. Dems wishes or desires, it's simple economics. Depression collapse of nation/state economies + Boomer aging and retirement costs will require it.
The upside? As our lifestyle becomes less attractive, the religious fundamentalists will feel less threatened (their beef is the loss of power, influence (and pussy) as their women and kids are seduced by US pop culture; from their point of view, certainly worth the death of some no-body 'true believers').
Anyway, everything is going to suck lots more real quick. You'd best learn to entertain yourself cheaply.
Alastair:
Regarding the !!!1!, yeah. Wish I could say I thought of it myself, but it's just one of those things I picked up from others. It's interesting, though -- given the inherently limited nature of text to convey tone, it's always nice when a new typographical convention, as it were, comes along to help.
Don:
You might be right. On better days, though, I think that wealth creation is non-zero, and that something else will come along that will mean that the US economy is not doomed to a permanently moribund state. I also (would like to) think that as the wealth disparity between nations lessens, that in itself will cut down on the hatred of others towards the US. Finally, if and when we develop substantial alternate energy sources, and/or figure out ways to use substantially less, the need for the US's military size will lessen just for that reason alone -- seems to me a big chunk of what the military does has to do with ensuring smooth oil flow.
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