In bipartisan vote, Senate protects funding for Boeing C-17 cargo planes

McCain vows to continue effort to strip $2.5-billion for 10 additional planes from the defense bill. Obama and Gates also say the extra C-17s, which are assembled in Long Beach, are not needed. http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-cargo-planes1-2009oct01,0,6070898.story

The additional funding that had been allocated in the current defense authorization bill had nothing to do with the protecting our war fighters as Sen. Christopher Bond (R-Mo) states, it has everything to do with protecting one’s pork barrel spending at the expense of our war fighters. The air force didn’t want the extra funding for the planes and now funding will have to be moved from other areas to pay for the increases numbers of the C-17. All too often the defense budget is used for only one purpose to bring home to one’s state or district federal dollars even when the defense department nether wants it or needs it. Too often politicians say they our protecting national security but in reality they are protecting their own power base. California’s two senators voted in favor of increased spending for the C-17, is this about national security or is it because the Boeing C-17 is manufactured in Long Beach, California. Funding for the Defense Department should only be what our military needs not what our politicians want, but I guess nothing changes no matter what party controls Washington!