Palin Challenges Obama on Defense Spending
Former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin shared her foreign policy views in a new Facebook note, expanding on her views about the United States' worldwide military dominance worldwide and its objective of maintaining a role that could be seen as a sort of global police force (something Republicans often criticized Democrats for during the Clinton administration).
Palin wrote that President Obama's policies send "signals to the world that maybe we can no longer be counted on, and that we have other priorities than being the world leader that keeps the peace and provides security in Europe, in Asia and throughout the world."
She blasted Mr. Obama for appearing "reluctant to even embrace American power." She noted that the president said earlier this year, "Whether we like it or not, we remain a dominant military superpower."
Palin writes:
Mr. President, this may come as news to you, but most Americans actually do like it. And so do our allies. They know it was our military might that liberated countless millions from tyranny, slavery, and oppression over the last 234 years. Yes, we do like it. As a dominant superpower, the United States has won wars hot and cold; our military has advanced the cause of freedom and kept authoritarian powers in check.
She also criticized the administration for being willing to "throw billions" at "progressive pet cause[s]," but preaching fiscal restraint when it comes to defense spending. Palin points out the administration has asked Congress to cut spending on defense programs they say are unnecessary, like an extra engine for the F-35 joint strike force fighter jet. She also points out that Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who was first appointed by President Bush, has talked about decreasing the number of ships in the Navy. Meanwhile, the president has also asked Congress for more than $30 billion in supplemental spending for the Afghanistan war.
"We should not be cutting corners on our national security," Palin writes.
