Reply #36: If he's worried about Islamic terror groups, why increase the military and not police or intel? [View All]

"In describing his decision today, Bush tied it to the broader struggle against Islamic extremists around the world rather than Iraq specifically. 'It is an accurate reflection that this ideological war we're in is going to last for a while and that we're going to need a military that's capable of being able to sustain our efforts and to help us achieve peace,' he said."

...and how's upping the size of the military going to help, shrubby? All of the major cases cited of thwarting extremist "Islamic" terror groups in the past five years, here and abroad, involved localized police and intelligence agencies. Nowhere has it been shown that military force prevented the advance of any terror group, rather the inverse might be claimed.

Nonetheless, if there's one thing W knows how to do, it's needlessly increase the size of government. Rather than seek a size of government adequate and appropriate to conduct its affairs, duties and responsibilities; this administration has a rich history of either hiking up the size to cover failed policies (e.g., cover economy based job losses, more fodder for a wrongheaded invasion/occupation) or seeking to ill-conceived cuts to the size in order to increase tax handouts/effectively buy public or corporate support.