"During the Cold War, the U.S. armed forces were constantly preparing for World War III.  U.S. military strength was geared to be ready to battle an opposing superpower that had 175 army divisions, 4o,ooo nuclear weapons, and numerous allies.  Yet even in the early phases of the Cold War, when tensions were highest and fears greatest, the value of economizing was not forgotten...Washington opened the sluice gates of military spending after the 9/11 attacks primarily not because it was the appropriate thing to do strategically but because it was something the country could do when something had to be done.  With rare exceptions, the war against terrorists cannot be fought with army tank battalions, air force wings, or naval fleets—the large conventional forces that drive the defense budget.  The main challenge is not killing the terrorists but finding them, and the capabilities most applicable to this task are intelligence and special operations forces.  Improving U.S. capacity in these areas is difficult.  It requires recruiting, training, and effectively deploying a limited number of talented and bold people with the relevant skills.  It does not require half a trillion dollars' worth of conventional and nuclear forces."

 

Afghanistan has cost us $234 billion dollars over eight years.  Iraq has cost us $3 trillion over six years.  The decision to increase troop levels in Afghanistan by fifty percent also means a fifty percent hike in the cost of that war. It means a fifty percent hike in the number of post-traumatic stress disorder cases, traumatic brain injuries, lost limbs and lost lives.  The concept of a war surtax to pay for this unaffordable war is gaining traction across the political spectrum in both houses of Congress; how come the concept of not sending more men and women to die in this unwinnable war isn't gaining similar traction with our politicians, or with the American people at large?

 

Stop fighting the Cold War, Obama—it's over.  Stop fighting the War on Terror, Obama—there never was one.