This Chart Makes It Pretty Clear That The US Military Can Afford Cuts

This chart from blogger Dave Manual makes clear the absurdity of griping about defense cuts.

Adjusted for inflation, the U.S. is spending more than twice as much now on defense as it did in 2001 — and significantly more than it did at the height of the Cold War.

As commenter "Pete" on Manuel's blog so aptly put it:

"Amazing that we're spending more to keep down these ragtag terrorists than the Soviet juggernaut with its 10,000 nuclear missiles and enormous army poised to invade Europe at the drop of a hat."

There's much more information on Manuel's blog here, including a year by year breakdown of military spending.

The Washington Post addresses the same subject with a series of charts posted today, including which show that while defense spending relative to GDP is relatively low, defense spending relative to population is at a post-war high.