Paul Ryan: The Generals Are Lying About Their Support For Obama’s Pentagon Budget

[Galraedia]

Last edited Thu Mar 29, 2012, 08:59 PM - Edit history (1)

Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said in February that he fully supports the Pentagon’s new budget, which incorporates $487 billion in cuts over 10 years, saying it will “maintain our military’s decisive edge and help sustain America’s global leadership.” Dempsey also said the corresponding strategy has “real buy-in” among top U.S. military leaders.

Despite the military’s support for President Obama’s DOD budget, the House GOP decided in its budget released last week to roll back those cuts, claiming the current levels are not sufficient to protect America’s national security.

Today at a “policy summit” hosted by the National Journal, managing editor Kristin Roberts asked the GOP’s budget guy Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) why the Republicans went “against the advice of the generals.” Ryan’s response? They were lying:

ROBERTS: Why did the committee choose to go against the advice of the generals?

RYAN: We don’t think the generals are giving us their true advice. We don’t think the generals believe that their budget is really the right budget. I believe that the president’s budget by virtue of the fact that when he released his budget number of about $500 billion, the number was announced at the same time they announced the beginning of their strategy review of the Pentagon’s budget. So what we get from the Pentagon is more of a budget driven strategy, not a strategy driven budget.

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/security/2012/03/29/454701/ryan-generals-lying-budget/

[Ilsa]

1. Asshole Ryan is calling the Generals "liars".

Why isn't someone calling this guy out? It's so obvious that the GOP want to keep funneling tax money into the military industrial complex against the advice of the generals.

[saras]

2. Cut 'em. Who cares, as corrupt as they are.

I'd assume 90% is waste until they show all the numbers and let some experts who aren't either economically or politically motivated in on the decision process. After that, I think we'd have a more effective military for a tenth the budget or less, even for the creepy illegal shit. Our MIC punishes economic efficiency and rewards waste and inflated costs. Fix it.

Frankly, I think that's the way to fix the other half of the conservative problem. The Tea Party is self-destructing. Dismantle the MIC (for a secure, healthy, America-centered, environmentally sane one, not for nothing). The military has the capability for extremely high levels of morality as well as extremely low ones. Right now their relationship with the arms industry rewards the worst ones. We can build a system that cultivates the best.

Aside from that, it's a completely legitimate way to directly go after Cheney and the Bush family fortune, for example. Arms sales to both sides while provoking wars doesn't need to be acceptable behavior on the global stage.