The Cruelest Cuts  Pages: 1 2  On January 3rd, President Obama
released his vision for military expenditures going forward. It
is a plan that calls for reducing troop strength by tens of
thousands because, Mr. Obama contends, ”we’ve succeeded in
defending our nation, taking the fight to our enemies, reducing
the number of Americans in harm’s way, and we’ve restored
America’s global leadership.” An integral part of the new
strategy? Abandoning the capability to fight two major ground
wars simultaneously. ”Yes, our military will be leaner, said the
president, “but the world must know the United States is going
to maintain our military superiority with armed forces that are
agile, flexible and ready for the full range of contingencies
and threats.”  Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA), chairman of the House
Armed Services Committee, cut right through the rhetoric. ”This
is a lead-from-behind strategy for a left-behind America,” he
contended. “The president has packaged our retreat from the
world in the guise of a new strate