It’s the incompetence, stupid:
The Army’s top officer withheld a required 2008 budget plan from Pentagon leaders last month after protesting to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that the service could not maintain its current level of activity in Iraq plus its other global commitments without billions in additional funding.
The decision by Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army’s chief of staff, is believed to be unprecedented and signals a widespread belief within the Army that in the absence of significant troop withdrawals from Iraq, funding assumptions must be completely reworked, say current and former Pentagon officials.
“This is unusual, but hell, we’re in unusual times,” said a senior Pentagon official involved in the budget discussions.
Schoomaker failed to submit the budget plan by an Aug. 15 deadline. The protest followed a series of cuts in the service’s funding requests by both the White House and Congress over the last four months.
According to a senior Army official involved in budget talks, Schoomaker is now seeking $138.8 billion in 2008, nearly $25 billion above budget limits originally set by Rumsfeld. The Army’s budget this year is $98.2 billion, making Schoomaker’s request a 41% increase over current levels.
“It’s incredibly huge,” said the Army official, who, like others, spoke on condition of anonymity when commenting on internal deliberations. “These are just incredible numbers.”
This morning, FAUX News had the usual suspects on bloviating about how the Army is in good shape and not lacking for equipment.
Maybe they should look at other news channels, like CNN, which has the following appeal: Copied and pasted from TO.org.
” On CNN’s web site (Lou Dobbs’s page) is a show announcement called “Operation Helmet.” This is a plea for donations because our government doesn’t supply enough necessary lifesaving gear for our men and women in uniform:
The number of upgrade kits requested continues to increase. Unfortunately, the donation amounts are lagging. Please help! The need for added protection from IEDs and the like won’t last forever; neither will the opportunity to make a difference in a trooper’s survival. Act now, please.
These helmet upgrades do three primary things:
Protection – Shock-absorbing pads keep the helmet from slapping the skull when hit with blast forces, fragments, or being tumbled along the ground or inside a vehicle. This decreases the chance of brain injury from bombs, RPGs, vehicle accidents, falls, etc.
Comfort – If it is more comfortable, it will stay on troop’s head longer and more often.
Stability – Keeps the helmet firmly on the head and out of the eyes.
The life you save might save another!”
When do the Bush/Cheney impeachment hearings start? Or do we just hand them over to the International Court of Justice in the Hague for their numerous war crimes?
First step is voting out the Republican lap dogs November 7.
Greg Bacon
Ava, MO