Newsflash, DOD Wins War!

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates [RG] scored a key victory Tuesday against the F-22 Raptor fighter in Congress, part of his battle to reshape Pentagon priorities. ... Mr. Gates is adamantly opposed to buying more of the highly sophisticated fighters, which he says have little relevance to today's conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan", my emphasis, August Cole at the WSJ, 22 July 2009, link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124818597270968593.html.

"President Obama claimed a triumph for spending rectitude yesterday after the Senate stripped out funding for the Air Force's F-22 Raptor fighter. Credit $1.75 billion in savings, or a third of a percentage point of the overall 2010 defense request. Only a couple of trillion more, and Mr. Obama will have a balanced budget. ... In the budget sent up to the Hill in April, [RG] made hard choices. Among them was his decision to kill the stealthy F-22, bar none the best fighter jet in the skies, and instead to focus resources on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. We happen to think the US needs this program to keep its superiority in the air for the next three or so decades. .. But not all conflicts are likely to be against inferior, unconventional enemies", my emphasis, Editorial at the WSJ, 22 July 2009, link: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203946904574302511270077996.html.

Gates, what an accomplishment, to win "a key victory" over a US plane, not an enemy force, a US plane! In Gates' World the F-22 is the enemy! Gates lives on the far side of the looking glass. That the F-22 will not be used in Iraq and Afghanistan shows neither war is of strategic importance to the US. At the rate Gates is going, he will be our worst SecDef since Robert McNamara. Gates, you idiot, your job is to prepare our military for the next war.

I agree with the WSJ.