Division over Defense Budget Cuts – Blue Dog Democrats and Barney Frank

From Politico, the Defense budget is undergoing a few cuts, with Barney Frank (D-MA) leading the charge to eliminate most of the nation’s defense capabilities, including reducing U.S. submarines, decimating the budget for Iraq and Afghanistan, and eliminating the missile defense shield programs. Several moderate Democrats, or so-called “Blue Dog” Democrats, are wavering – seeking compromises that will appeal to their districts (heavy military and veteran), while towing the Party line.

Take, for example, Levin’s rhetoric on missile defense. Unlike hard-line missile defense opponents within the Democratic Party, he advocates the more nuanced approach that would perhaps slow development of futuristic but unproven systems while increasing efforts to test them.

Levin (D-MI), is the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and is seen as a moderate. With North Korean launching rockets and the UN giving Kim Jong Il a virtual pass, now might not be the time to cut certain areas of defense, specifically our nuclear and missile defense programs.

Which Senators and Congress members should be most nervous? Those whose States are within reach of any device lobbed this way by North Korea – including California, Hawaii and Alaska. Should Alaska come under fire, it becomes more of a threat than say, a hit on Beverly Hills, due to the fact that Alaska has a bit of natural gas, and oil under the surface. One would consider this a no-brainer, considering that “Stability” is not generally associated with Kim Jong Il. (Or the current administration, for that matter, including the President (Utopian idea of nuclear disarmament), Barney Frank (clueless on all levels) and a host of other characters.

With the recent, although harmless, theft of a plain by a Canadian Turkish Immigrant, flown into US airspace via the Michigan border, and landing in Missouri, one can anticipate that the next “depressed” pilot stealing a plan and flying it into US airspace, may not necessarily have the best of intentions. The fact that the U.S. is back to its status of “Paper Tiger”, only servers to embolden those that would plan and execute attacks on U.S. soil, with the expectation that, given the stance on defense of the current Party in Charge (Democrats), there would be no retaliation.

Barney Frank and his ilk, are too busy planning the next business takeover, , and pushing for legislation to legalize Marijuana. (They see tax revenues, however, one has to ask wonder – so that’s what he’s smoking!) to deal with funding defense. Not for nothing, but the military is one of the nation’s largest employers, any cuts to defense will only serve to increase the growing unemployment numbers, (shades of Jimmy Carter, once again), and add to the misery currently enjoyed by the American Working Class.