Pentagon Goes Nanny State.

Oh for crying out loud, if I'm going to ask a serviceman to defend me and my freedoms, I'm all for letting him have a cigarette. If we can smoke here at home, and the president can smoke in the White House, let the Marines and all the others have a cigarette whenever they want to. And I won't begrudge their medical care, either.

Silliness.

Pentagon Asked to Cut Budget

Update: As of today (2.2.09) this Fox story is in error. Congressional Quarterly reports that Obama is INCREASING the DoD budget by 8% which is online with what Bush had said was necessary. This is non-war spending by the way. While the DoD needs to cut wasteful spending in their budget, I am reassured that Obama is not cutting the DoD budget as previously reported. I criticize him enough when he deserves it and don't want to when he doesn't! I stand corrected on this one.

From FoxNews Urgent desk:

"A senior US defense official tells Fox tonight that the Joint Chiefs have been asked to cut the Pentagon's budget request for FY 2010 defense budget by more than 10 percent - about 55 billion dollars. Last year's defense budget was 512 billion dlrs. Service chiefs and planners will be spending the weekend "burning the midnight oil" looking at ways to cut the budget - looking especially at weapons programs. I am told. OMB is expected to announce a topline figure for the defense budget on Monday. Today Mr. Obama met with a small group of military advisers at the WH: included in the meeting Admiral Mike Mullen, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen James Cartwright, Vice Chairman of Joint Chiefs and Gen Jim Jones, NSC Chairman. I am told this is going to be a weekly small group meeting of his military advisers."

I know times are tough but if we can buy new cars for all the government workers why are we asking the Pentagon to cut their budget when we are in the middle of two wars and planning on increasing troops in Afghanistan?