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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: DuckTapeSunroof who wrote (719809)	12/27/2005 1:48:25 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 769670

Some of the answers were already clear, even if there were few details. Mr. Henry, whose official title is principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy, said the Pentagon's spending binge of the last several years - its budget has increased 41 percent since 9/11 - cannot be sustained. "We can't do everything we want to do." It was a message that the industry has been bracing for. The Pentagon budget, James F. Albaugh, chief executive of Boeing's $30 billion military division, said at the conference, has "been a great ride for the last five years." But, he added: "We will see a flattening of the defense budget. We all know it is coming." The issue, however, goes beyond tightening budgets. Mr. Henry told the contractors that the Pentagon was redefining the strategic threats facing the United States. No longer are rival nations the primary threat - a type of warfare that calls for naval destroyers and fighter jets. Today the country is facing international networks of terrorists, and the weapons needed are often more technologically advanced, flexible and innovative. But one big question, analysts say, is whether the Pentagon and Congress have the desire, and will, to kill weapons programs where hundreds of billions of dollars - as well as the careers of powerful generals and admirals - are invested. Its pretty disgusting. The GOP likes to claim their concern is the nation's defense but like with much of their doublespeak, I think the increase in defense spending is really intended to benefit their friends in the defense industries. Isn't that how Cunningham got hung recently? Kickbacks from defense contractors? Of course, the outrage comes from the fact that we have no other superpower breathing down our necks. We haven't for 15 years. That's why the terrorist problem has been made into a war by Mr. Bush. That enables the pigging out to happen at both ends of the budget.......tax cuts in the front and defense spending at the back end. And we wonder why Congress is slow to come up with the money for the Gulf States......we're running out. The outrage is almost unspeakable.