THE 70s SHOW

Posted at 9:55 p.m. ET

One of the sadder aspects of the 1970s was the way Democrats zealously cut our national defense, wrecked our intelligence services and otherwise cleansed themselves of the sin, as defined in Manhattan and Beverly Hills, of protecting their country.

And now, direct from Democratic National headquarters, together again, Democrats and defense slashing.  The supreme guide this time is Barney Frank, that profound Massachusetts philosopher.  Investors Business Daily reports:

In a revealing meeting with the editorial board of the Southcoast (Mass.) Standard-Times last week, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., called for a 25% cut in military spending, saying: "We don't need all these fancy new weapons."

Yeah.  Real fancy stuff.  Chrome, leather seats, DVD player...

The irony here is that this call to disarm is coming from the party of Franklin Roosevelt, who called the United States the "arsenal of democracy." Obama is a far cry from Harry Truman or the Jack Kennedy who said that only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt will we be certain beyond doubt they will never be employed.

Dems haven't thought that way in 40 years.

In a video presentation to the far-left group Caucus for Priorities, Obama revealed just where Frank's 25% cut might come from. "I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems," he said. "I will not weaponize space. I will slow our development of future combat systems. I will institute an independent defense priorities board to ensure that the Quadrennial Review is not used to justify unnecessary defense spending."

So forget about national missile defense or responding to a realistic assessment of our enemies' intentions and capabilities.

The problem is, the Obama crowd thinks the enemies are at home.

John McCain said Iran's tests showed that we need effective missile defense "now and in the future," including the planned missile defense sites in the Czech Republic and Poland. Rather than unilateral disarmament, McCain has also said: "We must continue to deploy a safe and reliable nuclear deterrent, robust missile defenses and superior conventional forces that are capable of defending ourselves and our allies."

And McCain is right.  But, like Churchill in the thirties, he's being ignored.

Frank, Obama and the Caucus for Priorities would eliminate two Air Force fighter wings. Our already depleted Navy would eliminate an aircraft carrier group as both China and Russia are building them. Gone too would be the Virginia-class attack submarine and the DDG 1000 Zumwalt Class destroyer.
Unfortunately, people in Beijing, Moscow and Tehran will be defining our needs for us. And as our enemies turn out everything from ballistic missile submarines to anti-satellite weapons, we'd do well to remember that providing for national defense is in the U.S. Constitution and that job training is not.

But we know what the far left thinks of the Constitution. 

We've been down this road before.  It always ends in disaster.  Even if we lose next Tuesday, we must continue to fight for what we believe, and prepare for the midterms, only 24 months away.

October 27, 2008.