The news that General McChrystal has been called home to Washington for his recent intemperate remarks is certain to generate some chauvinistic fervor among America's right-wing. Republicans and Blue-dog Democratic politicians will shower us with platitudes about respecting the flag, supporting the troops, and listening to the Generals. In this highly-militerized society of ours, patriotism is often associated with complete support for whatever the military and defense contracors desire. But just as President Truman needed to remind Douglas MacArthur that the Constitution makes an elected official the Commander-in-Chief so too must President Obama take McChrystal to task.
In this atmosphere it is useful to revisit President Eisenhower's prescient remarks about military spending. He extolled us to be wary of the power of the military-industrial complex, and he was not wrong. At a time when we are running huge deficits, American taxpayers are supporting the largest defense structure in the world. No other nation comes close, as the map above demonstrates. And this offers our best hope for deficit reduction.
A recent bi-partisan study demonstrates with great clarity that this can be accomplished. We have a military desgned to defeat the Soviet Union. We have weapon systems that are little more than pork-barrel earmarks, un-needed and un-loved by the Defense Department but favored by Congress. We have too many generals, admirals and other officers. We do not defend our borders bu we protect Europe from..... (exactly what threat?). We chose a military response to 9/11 rahter than treating it as police matter. And in an act fdefying logic, we truned that into an invasion of Iraq. Enough is enough: if we are serious about taming the budget deficits we must tame the Defense Department. Perhaps McChrystal trip to the wood shed can be the beginning.
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