Mitt Romney in his latest round of pandering to conservatives wants to increase the already bloated defense budget. Currently we spend 3.9 percent of the gross domestic product, or around 425 billion dollars, on defense. Romney wants to move that number up to 4 percent. He also wants to add 100,000 troops to the armed forces. Where are these troops going to come from and how do you propose to add troops in a volunteer army? Beats me but Mitts going to do it.
Justifying his position Romney says,
Today we face a new generation of challenges globally and here at home. We will do as Americans have always done: We will rise to the occasion.
Yup, I'm sure many of us want to "rise to the occasion" by volunteering to die in Iraq. Everybody is also going to "rise to the occasion" by supporting further cuts of important domestic programs, to enlarge the massive pentagon.
Of course, Romney must feel he’s now insulated from criticism on foreign policy and national defense experience. "But I want to make the military bigger! That will fix everything."
I guess 425 billion dollars, just isn’t what it used to be.