Cutting the Real Pork

If the anti deficit crusaders are looking for some completely ridiculous fat to slice, I offer you Max Impact and the other six official Air Force music groups. Apparently we now spend a few million a year to ensure the troops have a supply of crappy live music. Isn't that what USO is for? I guess when an IED has just taken your leg nothing raises your spirit like "we're gonna rock your face off".

I was intrigued to hear about the Jack Lew selection, but will withhold my praise until I actually see a change. To really understand how broken things are I would point anyone interested to the debacle that has been the State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS).

In 2004 everyone agreed that State should probably have some role in helping stabilize post conflict societies and preventing relapses, and so S/CRS was created. But then it proceeded to get NO MONEY from Congressional Appropriators, driving them into a bizarro existance where they were basically hired by DoD for $100m a year. I think they finally got some of their own money this year, but most of that is for the stupid Civilian Reconstruction Corp (or whatever they call it).

Fixing the State/Defense mix isn't about getting people to agree we should have more on the State side of the fence. It is about changing the culture in DC that says you can never say no to the uniformed services when they come asking for money (the truth is that while they all say they want State to "do more" they really want State to "do more of what we tell them to do"). And it is going to take a change in the culture that allows a single unhinged Senator - yes I am looking at the Oklahoma delgation - to undercut national priorities. I wish soon to be Deputy Secretary Lew all the best in that giant task.