Oh Maggie, Maggie, What Have We Done?
Some guy said this once:
Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. Added to this, three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United States corporations.This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence—economic, political, even spiritual—is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.
In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the militaryindustrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals, so that security and liberty may prosper together.
Also:
President Obama vowed yesterday to veto a pending $680 billion military spending bill for next year if lawmakers set aside funding for more F-22 warplanes than the Defense Department says it needs.Obama’s intervention in the long-simmering debate over the wisdom of ending the F-22 program increased pressure on Senate lawmakers to respect his military priorities. It also sharpened his grievance with House and Senate Democrats who have defied the White House and supported keeping the F-22 production line open. Many such lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, have F-22 contractors in their home states.
It is almost like that Ike fellow knew what he was talking about.
Face
Watch Obama trade these favors for Health Care reform votes.
General Winfield Stuck
Here is that Ike fellow.
General Winfield Stuck
wrong meh
Gaffa
Hitting the Pink Floyd lyrics a bit hard today, are we, John?
themann1086
Not just any Pink Floyd lyrics: The Final Cut lyrics! Impressive!
LD50
Why did Eisenhower hate America?
Cat Lady
Republicans used to be the serious grown ups. How quaint.
Gaffa
“The Final Cut!” Not now, John!
Zifnab
Because a dollar spent on military hardware isn’t really a dollar spent at all. We can build F-22s to our hearts’ content, because it’s free money. Always has been. Always will be.
If you want to cut funding for something, take an axe to the HUD or the EPA, where a few billion dollars pays for the entire department. But don’t touch our precious, precious military spending, from which all good things come.
General Winfield Stuck
@LD50:
he was a phony soldier, of course.
inkadu
It is only because Republicans hate lobbyists and government pork and deficit spending that they so strongly support the F22 program.
I don’t know how Obama plans to stop terrorists from entering our country without the F22. Maybe with spitballs?
ThatLeftTurnInABQ
Well that’s your problem right there in a nutshell. Did Ike have any parting words of wisdom about media reform? No? Nothing? Awwww…we’re fucked.
Cris
How common is it for a president to threaten to veto a military spending bill? I would think that it would be extremely rare; indulging the military is generally politically necessary. Obama is clearly confident in his political capital.
I predict that his veto threat will be readily picked up as evidence of how much he hates The Troops, even though he’s actually doing exactly what Secretary Gates has asked.
Also, thanks for setting aside the obscure song references and throwing out a couple of bones to us mainstream Pink Floyd lamers. Also.
Apsaras
What excellence Keynesians these Republicans make! And here I thought the idea of the government paying people to dig a ditch, then fill it up again, was anathema to these guys. I guess such jobs are ok as long as you fill that ditch with billion-dollar airplane parts.
Cris
Well, McCain opposes extra F-22s.
inkadu
@Cris:
Wait until Sunday.
angulimala
Obama cancels plant to build giant tank in the shape of a Dragon
Prepare for the new Mecha-Gap!!
Trollhattan
I’m unable to wrap my brain around the notion our military spending essentially matches that of the rest of the world. And we have economy issues?
And those smartypants economists tell us the multiplier effect of mil spending is dismally low. But hey, a billion dollars will get you a seven-pack of F22s. Deal!
Rick Massimo
It’s a good thing the unimpeachable Eisenhower coined the phrase “military-industrial complex.” Because if anyone today ever came out and said that such a thing existed, the high-pitched screeching from the Republicans and the speed of the bipartisan Congressional resolution condemning him or her for such un-American thoughts would make your head spin.
The Grand Panjandrum
Unnecessary military spending will end when we have only charcoal left to defend.
inkadu
@Rick Massimo: First draft of Ike’s speech called it “military-industrial-congressional complex.”
I like Ike.
Screamin' Demon
He didn’t know much else. He was one of the laziest, incurious presidents we’ve ever had, although nowhere near as lazy and dim-bulbed as Bush II. He knew how to play golf and how to have heart attacks and strokes. He didn’t know how to pick running mates, that’s fer damn sure.
Just Some Fuckhead
I thought a recent Atlantic article made a good case for the F22.
Keith
How will we stop piracy without a couple hundred 5th generation stealth fighters?
Tom
Seems appropriate…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCW6Kte2o1A
Leelee for Obama
As I have gotten older, I have developed a more nuanced opinion of Ike. He made mistakes that we are still paying for (see Iran, 1953; Cuba, 1959-61; some of Latin America, with previous aid from FDR and HST, most of the rest of the Middle East). But, he did see this problem in a very un-Republican Constitutional way and we are in much worse shape due to my parents generation ignoring his warning. He also got the infrastructure thing really well. An imperfect President, to be sure, but not given to the anti-Constitutional Republicanism of the Nixon-present era.
I do not know what will come of this veto threat, but I hope Obama sticks with it, regardless of the health-care horse- trading that is inevitable . Someone had to finally say, NO MAS!
Cain
@General Winfield Stuck:
Pink Floyd?? I thought he was quoting a Rod Stewart lyric!
cain
gg
“Hitting the Pink Floyd lyrics a bit hard today, are we, John?”
So we can summarize Kennedy and Kerry’s objections to ending the F-22 program as: “Careful with that axe, Obama?”
Brett
Ike warned about it, but the thing is, unless you want to be wholly dependent on other nations’ military industries for weapons and equipment, you need a “military-industrial” complex in this day and age.
The era is long gone when we could simply re-tool for a war quickly after that war had started, allowing us to scale from a small army to a very large one rapidly (like in World War 2). Nowadays, military equipment is highly specialized, requiring specialized production lines and tooling, and it takes years both to set-up those facilities so that you can build the weapons you need.
That means that you need those businesses to be constantly in operation, otherwise you lose that, and you become dependent on countries that do have those businesses for your military supplies.
As for Ike’s Presidency, he was very smart in his way, and particularly on foreign affairs. He had the view that, contained and left to its own devices, the Soviet Union would eventually collapse of its own internal contradictions. The goal was to prevent the spread of Soviet power until that point (in particular, keeping them from gaining access to the industrial and technological resources of Western Europe), and get everyone through this.
Accordingly, he set up a two-fold strategy, that consisted of creating a nuclear tripwire in central Europe, and a series of client states like Thailand in other arenas. These allies were given good weapons, in the expectation that they would keep order in the areas they held sway in. The idea was that this would keep military costs low and prevent the spread of communism as much as possible.
It was a good strategy, until Kennedy screwed it up by starting the creation of a major conventional army that could then be used in all manner of deployments worldwide.
John Hamilton Farr
I’ll believe a veto when I see it.
Xecky Gilchrist
@Just Some Fuckhead: I thought a recent Atlantic article made a good case for the F22.
No, all it said was that having to wait for the funding to buy them was just like being in a refugee camp.
MaximusNYC
I’ve read that Ike’s original draft referred to the “military-industrial-Congressional complex”, but his aides thought that was too inflammatory, and cut out the 3rd term. It’s still accurate, tho.
Cris
@Brett: And that points to an important distinction, worth returning to Ike’s comment: he wasn’t advocating against the military-industrial complex itself, but against its “unwarranted influence.” The influence is enormous, and we probably need to remind ourselves that it’s totally bipartisan. Incertus linked to a Harpers article a few months back that used a Florida Democrat as a valuable case study.
Anne Laurie
Suuuuure, now that he’s not allowed to crash the big planes any more!
(He was so hoping to add the very latest model to his personal five-and-counting kill record… )
passerby
And it’s hard to believe that those dollars would only be for F-22’s. Who knows or understands the Pentagon’s bookkeeping with all those “Black Budget” projects.
Tang, Teflon, and microwave ovens weren’t the only technological advances to emerge from NASA’s space program. [tin-foil hats optional]
Obama is/will be cutting Halliburton, Boeing, et al’s money umbilicus with the stroke of a pen.
This is Change. Hope the secret service is ahead of the game. This won’t be like taking candy from a baby.
bago
About those Cheney death squads...
SGEW
Where are our god damned robot armies? We were promised robot armies, already! With lasers, at least.
How are we ever going to get the Robot Apocalypse in gear if Obama won’t play along?
D-Chance.
Many such lawmakers, including Massachusetts Sens. Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kerry, have F-22 contractors in their home states.
Well, of course. The military is the greatest assortment of Welfare Kings and Queens in the country today… the biggest leech sucking all the blood from our economic engine. The best thing that could happen would be to cut the military budget by a full 2/3rds, tell some of these corporations to start building productive assets for our nation, and tell some of these weekend warriors to grow up and find real jobs which don’t involve personal Rambo fantasies.
But, as long as the complex has the Jackass Club in their back pockets…
DougL
Why, the old fashioned way, of course – WITH NINJAS!
mcc
Observation:
In 2007 George W. Bush threatened to veto the defense spending bill if Congress included legal protections for homosexuals.
In 2009 Barack Obama threatened to veto the defense spending bill if Congress wasted too much money.
(Maybe there was also an instance of George W. Bush threatening to veto a bill over money being wasted in the military? If so, I must not have been paying attention.)
Paul in KY
You know Pres. Eisenhower was generally a good man, 18 factors of better above our recent GOP Presidents. However, he was in power for 8 years & gave that speech about a month before he left office. Afterwards, he didn’t seem to do any follow-up either (hanging out in Augusta to play golf).
I just wish he’d tried to rein it in when he had the power to do so.
Leelee for Obama
My guess is he wanted to live long enough to retire and play golf, no?
Delia
I’m waiting for the Death Star, myself. Then we’ll truly be invincible.
Paul in KY
Leelee for Obama: Good point! He knew them well.
Wile E. Quixote
Paul in KY
He did in more ways than one. Eisenhower had the cred to go after stupid defense programs and did so. Defense spending dropped under Eisenhower, in part because of the wind down of the Korean War and stayed fairly stable until 1961 when it began to rise again under the Kennedy/Johnson administrations.
Leelee for Obama
Re: Paul and Wile
It is possibly tin-foily of me, but JFK made a bit of noise about Peace and refused to attack Cuba, when he could have easily done so, much to the chagrin of the MIC. Perhaps it is instructive that Ike’s successor did not live to retire and play golf. And that JFK’s successor escalated a war of choice that Ike had avoided.
b-psycho
Funny how military pork is so tempting that even two senators that every wingnut uses as their examples of hippie librul pacifists in power can’t turn it down.
Wile E. Quixote
@Screamin Demon
You know Screamin, you’re a screamingly ignorant bastard. Eisenhower wasn’t lazy and incurious, the man ran the largest military operation in history and ran it so well that we won the war in Europe. I know that fucktards like you think that everyone in the military is stupid, but they aren’t, and pulling off something like D-Day while keeping the British and American generals focussed on killing the Germans rather than killing each other was not something that a lazy and incurious man could have done.
You might bitch about Eisenhower’s choice of Richard M. Nixon as a running mate, but the fact is that Richard M. Nixon wasn’t that much farther right than those two darlings of American liberalism, Jack and Bobby Kennedy, both of whom were good friends with Joe McCarthy. Oh, and if you weren’t so screamingly ignorant you’d know that Eisenhower appointed one of the greatest justices of the Supreme Court, Earl Warren, who, as chief justice of the Supreme Court pushed through Brown v. Board of Education (Warren worked his ass off to make sure that it was a unanimous decision), Baker v. Carr (one man one vote), Gideon v. Wainwright (right to counsel), Miranda v. Arizona (right to remain silent) and quite a few other cases. In nominating Warren to the court Eisenhower did more for American liberty and civil rights than any other president in the 20th century save Lyndon Johnson.
And even though Eisenhower disagreed with Warren, he backed him up, which is why he sent the 101st Airborne into Little Rock in 1957 and federalized the Alabama National Guard to prevent Orval Faubus from using them to prevent desegregation. Go tell me that Adlai Stevenson would have done that if he had been president.
I suggest that you read some history about Eisenhower, you know, history in actual books, instead of just getting everything you know from jokes they made about him on reruns of Happy Days.
Wile E. Quixote
@Anne Laurie
You’re mean. Can I sit next to you and be your friend?
Irrelevant,YetPoignant
Also, Ike built the interstate highway system. With his bare hands.
Cris
and Wile E. Quixote delivers the atomic smackdown comment of the day
Xenos
Very impressive- next comes “Keep Your Filthy Hands Off My Special Ops Assassination Team!”
Xenos
@Cris: True. I am much too late to this thread in any case. But the older I get, the more I appreciate Ike. I don’t know if that is a factor of my decay or the country’s ongoing decadence, but he was more of a mensch than the country deserved.
Brett
That’s because of the strategy he adopted, “Massive Retaliation” – he gutted the Army until it was little more than a tripwire in central Europe armed with nuclear weapons, because his strategy was that the US would use its overwhelming nuclear superiority to annihilate the Soviets if they tried something. Not very flexible (which was why his strategy also relied on local clients like Thailand in other areas), but it kept costs down (since the biggest costs, by far, in the military are Operations and Personnel).
It was Kennedy that screwed this up, by starting the process of creating a large, standing army capable of interventions worldwide. Johnson continued this, and after the decay in Vietnam and reforms involved with the RMA and All Volunteer Force, we’re still stuck with it.