Gates is unapologetic about cutting back on big-ticket items such as the Army's Future Combat Systems. The program's lightly armored vehicles, he notes, have 18-inch clearances and flat bottoms -- perfect targets for roadside explosives. On the other hand, Gates's missile defense cuts are relatively small.
Republicans want to polarize the budget debate. For example, the Obama administration, according to Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) is "willing to sacrifice the lives of American military men and women for the sake of domestic programs favored by President Obama."
In this case, the charge rings with irresponsibility and outright lies. While the total defense budget will be larger in a time of war, it focuses resources and attention precisely where they are most needed: on our war fighters. Eisenhower, who was my first vote for President, warned of the "military industrial complex."
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