I once pointed this out to a war-supporter friend of mine. He said that this happens in all wars (that equipment and personnel get run down, our state of readiness, etc.).

Anyone know if this is true?

Yes, that’s true.

But, it is also true that funds for logistics, supply, training, repair, maintenance and overhaul all take a backseat to “sexy” items like new weapons (aircraft, tanks, ships, missiles, etc). Part of it has to do with the way funds are appropriated. The money for operations and maintenance, and that’s things like the money to buy everyday things like spare parts and fund repair, comes out of “today’s dollars” so when DoD needs money for something else, that’s the account that gets raided. The money for new weapons systems and other long term projects like MILCON for example is pretty much fenced off and hard to reprogram for other purposes.

The whole DoD funding system is unlike anything
anyone here has probably ever seen. Unless you’ve worked in DoD or been in the service, it’s hard to understand and even harder to explain to anyone who isn’t familiar with it.

Anyone know if this is true?

if JFK were alive today, don’t you think he would be not only wise but justified in saying “Hey, maybe we should have spent a little more time reviewing all the data on Vietnam before we rushed more and more troops there

To be perfectly fair, JFK’s order to begin withdrawing troops from Vietnam immediately, was rescinded by LBJ 2 days after the assassination. In all honesty, JFK can hardly be lumped in with the rest of the MIC for something he tried to stop.

dead on. kennedy wanted to wind ‘down’ not ‘up.’ we know how well that went for him.

FTR, I spent my federal career working in the DoD supply system so I know how it works. The fact is DoD spends millions of dollars on contractor help to do things like track action items from meetings, make copies, sit on conference calls, make calls to other DoD agencies and commands – to be administrative assistants. DoD spends millions on contracts for defense firms to duplicate DoD’s own supply system. There is much much more waste and duplication.

I can almost guarantee you, right now the low level worker bees (like I was), who actually do the analysis and write up the justifications for programs and fundings, in the various DoD commands are being told to “ask for the moon” because DoD knows none of its funding requests are going to be denied no matter how much our elected representatives might say otherwise.

What DoD really needs to be told is to live within the 500 billion dollar budget and that
the DoD leadership will be held responsible if
readiness and resupply continue to decline. DoD
needs to be forced to make hard choices not rewarded for its incompetece by having more good money thrown at it to fix its “problems”.

steve @ 133

spurious @ 121

angie @ 73
fwiw, I did not think eCAHNomics’ comments offensive, and he/she has a valid point.

Flag raised by use of the term ‘lefties’.

How would you describe the FDL’ers? Rightwingers? 707. KAK. LOL. Take your pick
Centrists? With Jane’s intense dislike of Leiberman? Puhleeze…

Hey, I don’t like ‘leftie’ either. ‘Reality-based progressive’ works for me. Or, ‘call me a traitor for opposing this stupid war and I’ll kick your ass progressive’

If anyone less conservative than Lieberman is considered a “lefty” then you’ve got about 70% of the country tilting the ship to the portside!

While we’re waiting for something to happen somewhere, and discussing the abuse of the troops within the bloated, out of control military budget, and our dangerously decreasing readiness to respond to attack, we should consider aggression from Cuba.

A quick review of the latest pictures from space show increasing Cuban buildup surrounding the nearly cut off Guantanomodo base. 3 of the 5 remaining Soviet tanks are still working, and two of them can be seen badly camouflaged under that date palm over on the left, their barrels aimed directly at the camp.

All one of the weaponized fighter jets have been redeployed to the eastern side of the island. Several nearly combat ready jets were seen being hauled by pickups toward the east as well. President Chavez yesterday stated that his Air Farce could be over Cuba in 37 minutes, depending on wind conditions, if the Cubans requested it.

Several of the harbor coin divers reported seeing not only Hemingway’s beloved boat refitted with Cruz missiles (whose range varies on the proof of the rum fueling them), but spanish-speaking special forces dolphins armed with cast-off equipment confiscated from the SEALs at Fisherman’s Wharf have been on secret manouvres, readily apparent from decoded NSA sonar soundings.

It is clear that Cuba is on the ready alert.

Yikes…didn’t the majority opinion in the Jose Padilla case just state that the US Courts have no jurisdiction over the detainees in Gitmo because they are technically under CUBAN SOVEREIGNITY!!!

Is that a Green Light or what!

25th Amendment calls for a VP replacement nominee to be confirmed by simple majorities in both the House and the Senate.

There have been about a score of cases where VP’s that have died in office and the office either remained vacant throughout the Presidents term, or took over a year for a replacement to be appointed. Actually the case of the rapid passage of the nomination of Gerald Ford after Agnew resigned was an exception to the rule. Here are the situations before Ford. In amy cases the post simply remained vacated until the next election.

VP George Clinton died in 1812 -post Vacant (April 20, 1812-March 4, 1813 = 1 year)
VP Elbridge Gerry died in 1814- post Vacant (November 23, 1814-March 4, 1817 = 2 years 4 months) [Madison had bad luck with VP’s]

VP John C. Calhoun resigned on December 28, 1832 to take a seat in the Senate, having been chosen to fill a vacancy. Post Vacant (December 28, 1832-March 4, 1833 = 3 months…note that this was at the end of the term of office)

Vacant (April 4, 1841-March 4, 1845 = 4 years) After VP Tyler replaced Harrison after the latters death in office almost immediately after inauguration. Tyler didn’t seek a replacement.

Vacant (July 9, 1850-March 4, 1853= 2 years 9 months) After Pres. Taylor died in office VP Millard Fillmore who succeeded him didn’t seek replacement.

VP William Rufus King died in 1853 post Vacant (April 18, 1853-March 4, 1857 = 4 years) Pres. Pierce left the post open.

[VP position vacated for 6 years 9 months from 1850-1857]

VP Andrew Johnson Succeeds Assassinated Pres. Abraham Lincoln VP Post left Vacant (April 15, 1865-March 4, 1869 = 4 years)
VP Henry Wilson died in 1875 – Post left Vacant (November 22, 1875-March 4, 1877 = 2 years 6 months)

Vacant (September 19, 1881-March 4, 1885=3 years 5 months) after VP Chester A. Arthur replaced the Assassinated Pres. Garfield.

-VP Thomas Hendricks died in 1885 Post Vacant (November 25, 1885- March 4, 1889 = 3 years 3 months) under Grover Cleveland
[Note: VP post vacated for 6 years 8 months over prior two terms]

VP Garret Hobart died in 1899 -Post Vacant until end of term(November 21, 1899= March 4, 1901 = 1 year 3 months )under Pres. McKinley.
VP Post Vacant (September 14, 1901-March 4, 1905=3 years 9 months) after McKinley assassinated at beginning of Second term with VP Theodore Roosevelt moving to the Presidency. Inbterestingly Roosevelt didn’t fill the office despite the threat of a succession crisis.

VP James Sherman died in 1912 -Post Vacant (October 30, 1912-March 4, 1913 = 4 months). Taft leaves post open until term expires.

Vacant (August 3, 1923-March 4, 1925=1 year 7 months) after VP Coolidge replaces Pres. Taft after the latters death.

VP Harry Truman replaces deceased Pres. Franklin Roosevelt – VP Post Vacant (April 12, 1945-January 20, 1949 = 4 years!!)

VP Lyndon B. Johnson succeeds Assassinated President John F. Kennedy – VP Post Vacant (November 22, 1963-January 20, 1965= 1 year 1 month)

robin andrea @ 28

The idea that the US needs a military force bigger than the next ten countries combined is flat out bizarre. Do you think Canadians, Swedes or Portugese people get up every morning, quaking in their boots because they don’t have any Stealth bombers?

No, they get up every morning and say..

This is great! The US pays for huge military all over the world so we get a steady supply of oil, and then we can afford health insurance. Woo-hoo!

Ok, they don’t, but they should. “Old Europe” couldn’t even be bothered to contain the post-Yugoslavian wars in their own backyard, letting us do it instead.

Troll? No, just an opinion.

fahrender @ 119

Diane @
80

Regarding Helen Thomas, wasn’t Faux views (not news) hinting at this last week, that they deserve her seat in the front row.

i hope that when i get to be helen thomas’s age* i have as much fun and raise as much hell as she does ……

* (in ten years)

From Jack Shafer’s article in 2003:

And as an 82-year-old, Thomas possesses more energy and exhibits a stronger work ethic than anybody on her beat. One reporter says she’s the only person with any testosterone in the White House press room. She starts each day at 5:30 a.m., reading the newspapers at a coffee shop near the White House. She responds to e-mail and answers her own phone—although she’s known to hang up quickly if she doesn’t like the direction the conversation takes.

She’s 86 now, and still kicking.

in that case i’ll have to amend my statement to “16 years” from “10 years”. she’s even more amazing than i thought ……