You probably haven’t seen too many mainstream media reports of politicians arguing convincingly in favor of Gates’ defense overhaul, but Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) did just that on Morning Joe earlier today. Watch:
The capsule version is this: Sestak first corrected Joe Scarborough’s assertion that the Gates plan amounts to spending cuts, and then went on to defend the overhaul on the merits (why we don’t need to buy an extra handful of multi-billion dollar ships, but should modernize the existing fleet, etc.) and to accurately characterize the looming, sure-to-be bruising battle in Congress.
This is important coming from Sestak, for a few reasons. He’s a member of the House Armed Services Committee. He’s a young legislator, but very well regarded by his peers. He’s a retired Admiral (the highest-ranking officer ever elected to Congress), so he knows a thing or two about what the military does and doesn’t need. And though his state and his district stand to lose lucrative contracts under the Gates plan he’s nonethelessrather enthusiastic about it.
Sestak serves in the Pennsylvania delegation alongside powerful Rep. Jack Murtha (D-PA), a former marine, who chairs the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and who released a lukewarm statement about the budget proposal earlier this week–so we’ll keep an eye on his role in the proceedings.
