The U.S. defense budget has been falling steadily throughout the Clinton administration, and under the terms of this summer's budget deal it's due to keep failing into the next century. In five years we will be spending a smaller share of our national economy on defense than at any time since before Pearl Harbor. Does anybody in a position to make a difference have the guts to put a stop to this irresponsible gutting of the most important military in the world?
Well, finally it looks like the answer is yes. In a bold statement before the House budget committee last week, House speaker Newt Gingrich shocked everyone by calling for a new defense buildup. "We have lived off the Reagan buildup about as long as we can," Gingrich said. "The fact is that our defense structure is getting weaker, our equipment is getting obsolete, our troops are stretched too thin."
Displaying a much better grasp of America's strategic interests than a whole think-tank-full of defense experts, Gingrich went on to say that he didn't "want us to be strong enough to win narrowly. I want to be so strong that no one can compete with us." Exactly right. The best guarantee of American interests, and world peace, is American military supremacy. Republicans should follow their leader on this one.