534 is MORE than 512. Also commonly known as an increase.

The shifts in spending are going mainly FROM large, expensive machines TO special forces, intel and more ground troops. Like one F22 vs. 150 ground troops. Which would be of more us in Iraq or Afghanistan?

The F22 is a badass plane, no doubt. It is also assembled in factories in 44 different states. Hmm. Wonder why? Looks to me like Gates has the balls to be honest about where the money should go to provide actual DEFENSE.

“Crowds cheered President Bush as he threw out the first pitch at today’s Texas Rangers game. In fact, the crowd loved them some President Bush. You can check out the video at either site.”
–Fascinating, people in Texas, at a baseball game completely non affiliated in any way to politics, cheered for Bush. Call the bureau, the 22% approval rating must certainly be wrong!

“he’s also a president who doesn’t seem to have a problem criticizing his own country while overseas”
–So you would rather have him sit idly by and completely ignore the massive hole that we have dug for ourselves? You would have him deny that the American (and global) economic crash, spurned by our own people’s greed and immorality, had anything to do with us? Sounds like a great idea, a president that takes no responsibility and makes plenty of excuses.

“Russia, North Korea, Iran and the rest will immediately breath a sigh of relief and get rid of their nukes. Right? You know the only reason they have nukes is to protect themselves against the United States that has been so reckless and aggressive - right?”
–First off, you are completely and utterly unreasonable to think that nukes are going anywhere, ever. I have refrained from addressing the caliber of your character directly, but this is just plain and simple stupidity. Nukes aren’t going anywhere. You also seem to like to think that Obama wants to just get rid of our nukes, and hope everyone else does the same? Where are you getting this information from? You come off as completely insane.

“And another thing …. check out what the Obama administration has in mind in terms of internet snooping.”
–Bush passed the Patriot Act. This is more than enough argument to completely throw this away. Absolutely blind, ignorant, and misinformed.

And finally, I pose a question to you. What has the F-22 fighter done in the war in Iraq? What has the FWC done for the war in Iraq? What has all the R&D money pumped recklessly into the military done for the war in Iraq? The military is for whatever reason developing equipment and weapons to fight a nation on par with the United States in terms of military might. Where is this imaginary nation? The answer is that it doesn’t exist. No one else is even close, and won’t be for decades. Get out of the Cold War, stop trying to fight the nonexistent Soviet Union, and wake the hell up to realize that we have too many problems at home to be worried about the invisible super-power that so threatens our way of life.