This afternoon, the Department of Defense will conduct detailed briefs on the FY 2010 defense budget request. While much of what Secretary Gates’ has proposed for the military budget in FY 2010 and in the coming years has already been made public, today’s proceedings should provide a much clearer picture. Here is what we already know: The FY 2010 total defense budget will represent a $5.5 billion real reduction from FY 2009. President Obama’s 10-year defense spending plans fall well short of what the nation needs to spend and what …
Over the past month, the press in predominantly Muslim countries was abuzz that President Barack Obama was scheduled to attend the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Forum during his recent visit to Turkey. The AoC is an attempt by the U.N. to quell perceived tensions between Muslim and Western nations by promoting “dialogue” – an interesting word choice for what is, in effect, a one way conversation. The base document for the Alliance of Civilizations focuses on the supposed failings of Western countries while largely ignoring the faults of Muslim …
Barack Obama is trying to convince the American people that when it comes to his economic stimulus plan, “We’re guided by what works, not by any ideology or special interests.” But as the New York Times reports today, nobody has any idea “what works.” First the Times reports: Nearly every economist who spoke here agreed that a dollar invested in, say, a new transit system or in bridge repair is spent and respent more efficiently than a dollar that comes to a household in a tax cut. Awesome. That’s good …
