William M. Arkin, a former Army intelligence analyst and consultant, has written extensively about military affairs, including several books on the topic. It's now in its second edition. Controversial domestic policy initiatives will undoubtedly get bogged down in divided government. Most agree that the Clinton years have broken the back of the U.S. military.
National security is an area where a president can act even without bipartisan consensus.
The Republicans have already pledged to throw more money at the Pentagon. But the military does not have a financial crisis. The Pentagon needs more decisions. Shinseki is not only dead wrong in his articulation of America's strengths, but he is shortsighted on the military's needs. A similar rumbling voiced by the Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James Jones, as reported by Defense Daily, also misses the mark.