Later On

Dan Froomkin at Huffington Post:

Concerned that President Obama’s deficit-reduction commission is going to look in the wrong places for budget cuts, Barney Frank has appointed his own bipartisan commission.

This one will specifically look at ways to reduce the bloated military budget.

Defense cuts seems to be politically off-limits these days, but the group convened by the outspoken liberal congressman from Massachusetts shares a belief that America is "overextended and overcommitted" and that there should be a "substantial reduction in the reach of American military commitments," Frank told HuffPost.

He expects the group to propose reducing the number of overseas bases, especially in the rich countries of Western Europe and Japan. "There’s a big debate right now about where 3,000 Marines in Okinawa should go. My suggestion is Nebraska," he said.

And he expects it will propose cutting weapons systems that don’t meet any plausible need.. "No matter how good a weapon is technically, we shouldn’t buy it unless it has an enemy," he said.

Frank despairs that the deficit-reduction debate plays out in Washington as if there are only two choices: raise taxes or cut entitlements, such as Social Security and Medicare.

Even President Obama’s proposed freeze on discretionary spending explicitly rules out any defense cuts, which Frank describes as "my biggest difference" with the president since he came into office.

The group has met twice already, and expects to complete its recommendations shortly. Once that happens, Frank said, "what we are going to do is tell the deficit reduction commission that they have to include substantial reductions in military spending if they want our support."

Frank said he imagines many politicians avoid the topic for fear of being assailed as weak on terror. But, he said, "I don’t think any terrorist has ever been shot by a nuclear submarine."

Continue reading. I say, "Good for Barney Frank, and I hope he cuts the Defense budget in half."