‘Spending Cuts’ That (Still) Aren’t

Brian Beutler continues to bird-dog the “Obama is cutting spending” meme that’s both untrue and useful for rolling back Defense Secretary Bob Gates’ reforms. Here’s what Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told me yesterday (again):

“These are not cuts. This is a reshaping of our basic capability, and the capability that our combatant commanders in particular are advocating for…This is a lot about the warfighters, the combatant commanders, the reality of the fights they’re in and the ones they’re trying to prevent and the capabilities they need.”