Signer: Defending Obama on defense
There's a great scene in Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" where a novice gunfighter loudly proclaims his toughness. "I'm a killer myself," he boasts to the grizzled old bounty hunter Eastwood portrays. Eastwood's character takes a long, slow look at the braggart. It later turns out that the man hadn't killed anyone at all, and when he does, he falls to pieces.
I was reminded of this scene recently when I watched Mitt Romney's victory speech in Tampa. He didn't wait long to launch a political bomb at President Barack Obama. "He is intent on shrinking our military!" Romney shouted to a cheering crowd. He then accused the president of "appeasement" with our enemies.
When I ran for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Virginia in 2009, I was blessed with the support of retired general and flag officers from all four services, as well as veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. These brave men and woman abhor politics for politics' sake. They are often more critical of waste in the military than civilians. In other words, they believe that our national security requires more cattle and less hat. But Romney's words are the equivalent of a hundred-gallon Stetson. Should he become the Republican nominee, Virginia's voters should treat him accordingly this November.
The views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Truman National Security Project or Educational Institute.
