US Defense Secretary Is A Master Illusionist

Defense Secretary Robert Gates seemed to perform the impossible today when he announced $100 billion in defense spending cuts, while also unveiling a plan to grow military spending.

How's that for amazing?

The money the armed forces save from their budgets by canceling projects can be plowed back into their budgets for other programs. Gates found $100 billion in savings over five years, but allowed the Pentagon to keep that money.

Cory Shockey, who served on the National Security Council under President George W. Bush, sees Gates as somewhat of a magician.

"My sense is that he's actually pulled off one of the great Houdini acts of our time. Everybody's talking about this $100 billion cut in the budget. But what Gates has actually done is moved $100 billion from his existing budget, to his existing budget," says Shockey.

The Military-Industrial Complex is dedicated to its own self-preservation. There are numerous people in government, even elected officials, who will fight to no end for its survival — even if it means sinking the federal budget, and America itself.

Case in point; just days ago, Senator Lindsay Graham (R- South Carolina) said he wants American officials to consider establishing permanent military bases in Afghanistan.

Apparently, Sen. Graham hasn't seen the federal budget, the deficit, or the $14 trillion national debt.

Believing that the US can continue to spend more on its military than every other nation in the world — combined! — is plainly delusional.

The combination of defense spending and Homeland Security amounts to the single largest expenditure in the federal budget.

To truly save this nation from financial ruin, that simply cannot continue.

Anyone who is serious, and sincere, about reducing the deficit and the debt, must admit this.

And they must also take steps to thwart people in government like Robert Gates and Lindsay Graham.

The Military-Industrial Complex must be broken in order to save America.