WaPo Shocker: Edit Page Worried About New Military Spending During Tough Economic Times

In May of last year -- after the Obama administration had issued a budget proposing a slight increase in total military spending -- the Washington Post editorial page was not quite satisfied. They worried that Obama had issued a "lean defense budget."

Indeed, the United States spends about 4 percent of GDP on direct military spending -- way up there in the world rankings, though certainly not at the top (Oman! Qatar! Saudi Arabia!).

But now, in a stunning turnaround, Fred Hiatt and Jackson Diehl have had enough. In an editorial Thursday, they make the case that in tough economic times, increased military spending is not a good idea. Three cheers for them!

Oh wait. They're talking about Venezuela, not the United States. Those Venezuelans, with their military expenditure per GDP that is, of course, a fraction of ours. Gosh, imagine if they just got new military bases by our border.