I stand correct.  Early reports that Obama had requested an 11% cut in the defense budget now appear to be incorrect.  Apparently the 11% number was used in the wrong context, based on an earlier draft budget.  Via Hot Air:

According to Congressional Quarterly, Fox News got its story wrong on Obama’s planned defense spending.  This weekend, Fox reported an Obama mandate of ten percent reductions across the board.  CQ reports that Obama has given Defense Secretary Robert Gates an upper limit of $527 billion for non-war spending in FY2010 — which would be an 8% increase in defense spending:

The Obama administration has given the Pentagon a $527 billion limit, excluding war costs, for its fiscal 2010 defense budget, an Office of Management and Budget official said Monday.

If enacted, that would be an 8 percent increase from the $487.7 billion allocated for fiscal 2009 (PL 110-329), and it would match what the Bush administration estimated last year for the Pentagon in fiscal 2010. But it sets up a potential conflict between the new administration and the Defense Department’s entrenched bureaucracy, which has remained largely intact through the presidential transition.

Some Pentagon officials and congressional conservatives are already trying to portray the OMB number as a cut by comparing it to a $584 billion draft fiscal 2010 budget request compiled last fall by the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

So this will be an 8% increase in current levels, but 11% lower than what the Joint Chiefs originally drafted as their request.

Hot Air makes a good point:

If that was what Fox did, then they should apologize.  Lord knows the Left did this constantly with the Bush administration, screeching about supposed cutbacks at the VA while the Bush administration was rapidly increasing spending at the agency, but not as fast as the Left wanted.  Budget comparisons are not that complicated — an increase is an increase, and a cut is a cut, but an increase above the rate of inflation is never a cut, in either the Bush or the Obama administration.

Exactly.

At any rate, it’s good to know that Obama hasn’t really cut the defense budget as Fox initially reported during a time of war.  Now, if we could get them to cut the rest of the budget ….

Fat chance.  That Pig will never fly.

At any rate, I stand corrected and my other post will be corrected also.

Trackposted to The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary’s Thoughts, Wingless - Alastair Crooke on Gaza & Hamas - living in the twilight zone!, DragonLady’s World, Wingless - Sura 5:32 - When Killing isn’t Murder, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Nuke’s, Allie is Wired, Political Byline, third world county, Faultline USA, Woman Honor Thyself, Wingless - What Lead to Cast Lead, The World According to Carl, Walls of the City, Wingless - Cuba: Beautiful Country, People…Not so Beautiful System…, Rosemary’s News and Ideas, The Pink Flamingo, Wingless, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.