Fred Thompson before the VFW:
Yet even before General Petreaus, who is universally respected, has an opportunity to give his report, Congress furiously debates the terms of our surrender instead of how we might achieve success. They remind me of the scene from Iwo Jima where a group of men were struggling to plant the flag. However, this time it’s not the American flag, it’s the white flag.
That line might have packed a bit more punch before the Democrats returning from Iraq started acknowledging the success of the surge… In addition to that roundhouse swing at Congress, he had these hints of entitlement reform…
Our country was not prepared for our current situation. We took a holiday from history in the 90’s. We cut our military, our procurement and our research and development. Now our military is stretched too thin. We are wearing out our equipment. Our intelligence capabilities are inadequate.
To reverse this situation we must reassess our national priorities and face the truth about what it will take to defend this country.
Demographics and increasing medical costs are going to cause the growth of our entitlement programs to squeeze out discretionary spending, including our defense budget. America is going to have to come together for an honest bipartisan discussion about this. Because anyone who honestly looks at the situation knows that the current trend cannot be sustained. So remember when we’re talking about fiscal policy we’re also talking about the military and national defense.