Brutal Truths

John Kerry, the candidate, has President Bush beat hands down on one vital issue:

In his most extensive remarks on the future of the American military, Sen. John F. Kerry said here Thursday that he would increase the active-duty Army by 40,000 soldiers, including a doubling of U.S. Special Forces; speed development of new technologies and equipment to meet threats posed by terrorist networks; and better integrate the National Guard into the nation’s homeland security strategy.

A few observations.

It’s true that Kerry says he’d pay for part of the manpower increases by scaling back on missile defense spending. And you know what? That’s fine by me. Missiles come with a return address — anyone launching one at us would become radioactive dust some 30 minutes to 30 hours later. (The time difference depending on whether we decided to return the favor via missile or B-2 bomber.) Missiles are not currently our worst threat, and we only have so much money. Priorities, people — I know missile defense is a big deal for Republicans, but I’m a pretty piss-poor excuse for a Republican.

What Kerry proposes requires sacrifice