Ace says he saw it on Fox News, but at this hour, there’s nothing about it on the FNC website. The best source Ace could find is the pay-per-view site InsideDefense.com NewsStand, the services of which I haven’t paid to view. But there’s been considerable speculation that Obama will make cuts in defense. In fact, he has promised to do so. If he intends to make good on his campaign rhetoric, then it’s just a question of when the cuts will come.
In this video clip from an ad candidate Obama made for a left wing interest group, he clearly stated his intentions to cut “tens of billions of dollars” in wasteful spending, cut investments in “unproven” missile defense systems, “slow” the development of future combat systems, and abstain from developing new nuclear weapons. All this, of course, was promised in addition to saving the $9 billion a month Obama said the U.S. was spending in Iraq, a war which he pledged to end. But candidate Obama also promised to increase the size of our ground forces and provide them with first-rate gear. Bret Stephens explored this apparent dichotomy in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.
RS contributer Brian Faughnan, in an analysis posted on The Weekly Standard’s blog, examined the effect of cutting $300 Billion in what White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel described as defense “cost overruns” that the administration “will be addressing.”
Gordon Lubold, however, in a Christian Science Monitor opinion piece, says “experts” predict that it is unlikely that Obama would cut defense spending, at least in the first year or two of his term.
It’s possible that the Fox report Ace saw was simply a mention of the InsideDefense.com article. If that’s the case, then an 11% Pentagon cut remains a single-source story which has not been confirmed. Still, if Obama keeps his word on the defense cuts he promised prior to the election, then those who place a priority on national security will have legitimate grounds for complaint.
- JP
Moe Lane
Steve Maley
Dan McLaughlin
Neil Stevens
Daniel Horowitz
I saw it too - on Fox News
Elizabeth Christian (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 1:55AM EST (link)I think but not 100% sure it was on Shepard Smith (I think that is his name), anyways, the host (whichever one it was) said 10% cut, but then the lady reporter from the Pentagon said “oh, no, it is much more than that” and I never did hear her quote a number – I could have gotten distracted, she may have said but I remember her saying the above info.!!!
This is not good – this is really bad. Obama had better not cause harm to the brave men and women who I am so grateful to that protect us and give us liberty.
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
~Benjamin Franklin
If a President won't defend us, then we won't be defended-nt
Mike gamecock DeVine (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 2:00AM EST (link)Mike DeVine’s Examiner.com, Charlotte Observer and The Minority Report columns
“One man with courage makes a majority.” – Andrew Jackson
Elections really do have consequences - THANKS KOOL AIDE CROWD!!!
Elizabeth Christian (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 2:02AM EST (link)n/t
Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.
~Benjamin Franklin
Defending America is the most important part of President Obama's job
David123 (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 10:03AM EST (link)I HOPE there’s no CHANGE in the number of successful terrorist attacks in America since October 2001.
David123
Here is the article from Fox
Rapunzel46 Saturday, January 31st at 4:04AM EST (link)Obama Calling for Defense Budget Cuts
Some overall budget figures are expected to be announced Monday.
FOXNews.com
Friday, January 30, 2009
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.
Last year’s defense budget was $512 billion. Service chiefs and planners will be spending the weekend “burning the midnight oil” looking at ways to cut the budget — looking especially at weapons programs, the defense official said.
Some overall budget figures are expected to be announced Monday.
Obama met Friday at the White House with a small group of military advisers, including Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman, and Gen. Jim Jones, National Security Council chairman.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/01/30/defense-official-obama-calling-defense-budget-cuts/
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But, we are giving ACORN 6 billion.
I was under the impression that DoD cuts were a foregone conclusion.
phxg (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 4:16AM EST (link)nt
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. –Aristotle
The audacity of dope can justify this pork, but can't spare the military $55 billion?
Husker (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 4:31AM EST (link)- Hercules, Calif., $2.5 million Waterfront Duck Pond Park & $200,000 for a dog park
- Euless, Texas, $15 million Midway Park Family Life Center, includes both a senior center and aquatic facility
- Natchez, Miss., $9.5 million sports complex
- Henderson, Nev., $20 million 60 acre multi-use sports field complex
- Brigham City, Utah, $15 million for a sports park
- Arlington, Texas, $4 million to expand its tennis center
- Miami, Fla., needs $15 million “Moore Park Community Center, Tennis Center and Day Care” facility. $3.6 million to build a covered basketball court and a new tennis court at Robert King High Park. $94 million Orange Bowl parking garage
- La Porte, Texas $7.6 million for a “Life Style Center
- Oakland, Calif., $1 million for Fruitvale Latino Cultural and Performing Arts Center.
$1 billion for Amtrak ( Hasn’t turned a profit in 40 yrs.)
$400 million for global-warming research
$2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects
$650 million on top of the billions already doled out to pay for digital TV conversion coupons.
$8 billion Renewable energy funding
$6 billion mass transit
$7 billion for modernizing federal buildings and facilities
$150 million to Smithsonian
$81 billion for Medicaid
$36 billion for expanded unemployment benefits
$20 billion for food stamps
$83 billion for the earned income credit for people who don’t pay income tax
$50 million National Endowment for the Arts
I can go on and on, but what’s the point.
dog bites man...
davidingeorgia Saturday, January 31st at 9:40AM EST (link)…the only surprise would have been if he hadn’t wanted to gut the military budget.
of course, gutting the budget won’t stop him from deploying our military personnel all over the place a la Bubba Clinton.
Truly, this wouldn't bother me.....
USNJIMRET (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 9:57AM EST (link)or not as much, if there was also cuts, real cuts, in spending in other departments of the government.
But without even seeing anything at all discussing the ‘regular’ budget plans from the new administration, I suspect that Defense is going to be pretty much alone in the overall budget cut game.
Is there ‘fat’ in the Defense Department? No doubt in my mind.
But probably no more or less then in many other Departments of the Federal Government.
But when just DOD is singled out, as will probably be the case, something stinks in Denmark, and it ain’t the fish!
it would bother me...
davidingeorgia Saturday, January 31st at 10:29AM EST (link)while we’re still at war…but beyond that, I could live with it if it really was across the board in all federal programs, but since the DoD is the only place that Rahm brings up whenever he’s asked about cutting “waste” and that’ll be the only major department that gets cut too, and they’ll more than make up for whatever they cut out of defense with additional spending with every vote-buying federal program they can figure out a way to add.
I think cutting during
jonathanswift (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 12:08PM EST (link)a war makes more sense than something like the post-Cold War or Post Vietnam RIFs.
We need a smaller Army, a larger Marine Corps and a Navy and an Air Force that share more responsibilities. The threat must shape the budget.
Duh!! The threat must shape the budget
izoneguy (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 12:13PM EST (link)And we have the biggest threat since the Cold War with the USSR.
At least the Soviet Union never attacked us and killed 3000 of our people. Not yet anyway.
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
But it is not a
jonathanswift (Diary) Wednesday, February 4th at 9:50AM EST (link)threat that necessarily requires a large military.
Why don't we cut ALL of government 10%?
izoneguy (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 10:05AM EST (link)Not just defense but everything in the Federal Government?
Salaries, government worker entitlements, staff, etc.
And FREEZE spending in it’s tracks. The Federal Government is
inefficient and all Obama wants to do is grow the inefficiency.
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.
Democratic Administration + Democratic Congress
Brian Hibbert (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 10:11AM EST (link)NEVER equals a cut in the size of government. Do you remember how they screamed about “Draconian Cuts” in government programs when all we did was hold their growth to the rate of inflation?
Democrats don’t mind cutting defense spending since they don’t mind weakening our country. They DO mind cutting other government areas since that is a cut to their core constituents.
Don’t hold your breath for a cut in the size of government with these guys in charge.
Candidate for Trustee of Illinois Central College
Socialism doesn’t work. It looks nice on paper, but it’s been tried and it’s failed miserably every time (usually accompanied by widespread death and suffering).
Proud member of the V.R.W.C.
Take back our party!
Check out Unified Patriots
Not all... Cut every aspect of government except defense...
rbdwiggins (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 11:50AM EST (link)A 30% increase in defense spending is required in order to bring it in line with the historical average.
2008 Federal Revenue and Spending Book of Charts (12.9 MB PDF)
“Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn’t so.” – Ronald Reagan
The question to ask is
jonathanswift (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 12:05PM EST (link)not “How much has been spent in the past,” but is “How much should we spend now?”
I think we could spend slightly less more effectively, while slashing everything else in the Federal Budget.
More important question...
rbdwiggins (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 12:21PM EST (link)Given the current status of the US military, are we capable of conducting a war on another front while dutifully executing the Global War on Terror and ensuring stability in the Middle East?
If the answer is no, then a substantial increase in defense spending is required.
There is no function of the US government that is more important than the safety and security of the American people.
“Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn’t so.” – Ronald Reagan
More important question...
rbdwiggins (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 12:21PM EST (link)Given the current status of the US military, are we capable of conducting a war on another front while dutifully executing the Global War on Terror and ensuring stability in the Middle East?
If the answer is no, then a substantial increase in defense spending is required.
There is no function of the US government that is more important than the safety and security of the American people.
“Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant, but that they know so much that isn’t so.” – Ronald Reagan
Don’t hold your breath for a cut in the size of government with these guys in charge
izoneguy (Diary) Saturday, January 31st at 10:15AM EST (link)I know, it was just to point out the hiprocrasy of Obama and the democrats. Do as I say – Not as I do
The point cannot be made often enough: Modern liberalism, as embodied in the Obama presidency, is the defender of the status quo. And the status quo is a road to economic ruin. Political forces cannot redistribute the wealth that the economic system does not produce.