Do Clinton and Obama Favor a Strong National Defense?

I’ve listened with interest over the past several weeks as the two leading contenders for the Democratic nomination for president try to outdo each other by proposing one new program after another. National healthcare for all? A public service academy? Cutting off funds for the war in Iraq to pay for education and other priorities? We’ve heard all of these themes and more as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) and Barack Obama (Ill.) try to out-duel each other to spend our hard-earned tax dollars.

What I haven’t heard, however, is a proposal or initiative aimed at our armed forces community. Has anyone heard Sen. Clinton or Sen. Obama propose a multibillion-dollar program for our men and women in uniform? Improving housing at our bases both here and abroad? Setting aside billions of dollars to provide armor, bombs and bullets to fight and win the war on terrorism? I didn’t think so.

So much of their commentary has been nebulous — along the lines of “we support the troops,” but all I’ve heard is how quickly they want to pull our forces out without explaining how they would confront the threats that face our country at this critical juncture in the war on terrorism.

Next time you listen to Sens. Clinton and Obama talk about their priorities, pay close attention to whether they explicitly discuss their funding priorities for defense and our men and women in uniform. Sadly, I think the silence on these issues will be deafening yet telling about their true intentions about “supporting the troops.”

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