A Marine’s Warning

The nation’s top Marine is speaking truth to power.  The question is, will the powerful listen?

Last week, Commandant James Amos told Congress that his Marines risk being unprepared to fight properly even one major war after the defense budget cuts now in the works take full effect.

Yesterday, the four-star general warned in congressional testimony against the sentiment that seems to be driving such cuts, and the resulting hollowing-out of the U.S. military.  He called it “neo-isolationism” and observed that it is curtailing our ability to project power in defense of our far-flung interests and allies.  He said “I don’t think that’s good for America, I don’t think that’s good for global stability.”

Isolationism was a bad idea in the past.  It is a perilous one in today’s dangerous world.