HYPOCRISY 101 - AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  From The Washington Post:

When President Obama promised Wednesday to attack defense spending that he considers wasteful and inefficient, he opened a fight with key lawmakers from his own party.

It was Democrats who stuffed an estimated $524 million in defense earmarks that the Pentagon did not request into the 2008 appropriations bill, about $220 million more than Republicans did, according to an independent estimate. Of the 44 senators who implored Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates in January to build more F-22 Raptors -- a fighter conceived during the Cold War that senior Pentagon officials say is not suited to probable 21st-century conflicts -- most were Democrats.

COMMENT:  This is an ongoing scandal.  Even the late Barry Goldwater - "Mr. Defense" - railed against corruption in defense spending.  We too often buy weapons that have political, rather than military backing.  It will be difficult to dislodge this cash cow. 

We support President Obama in fighting Pentagon waste.  At the same time, we'll watch his defense plans with both eyes.  Being against waste does not automatically mean he'll make the right defense judgments when pushed against the wall by the left wing of his party.

March 8, 2009