Let's Vote for the Deterrent!

The renowned economist Ryan Grim today asks us to vote on which leg of the nuclear triad we should retain. Oh, er, that Ryan Grim!

He builds on a suggestion by Barney Frank that the administration choose which leg of the nuclear "triad" to eliminate. Since he doesn't give a context for Frank's suggestion, I suspect it was rhetorical. Frank is pungent in his comments, but that doesn't tell us what they mean.

I suppose Grim is being rhetorical too, trying to emphasize that we unthinkingly spend a lot of money on weapons while worrying about the costs of health care reform. But, lavish as Defense Department spending is, entitlements beat it in their share of the budget. So both are worth thinking about, and yes, money for armaments is spent much too easily.

He could have seen that a similar debate is going on in Britain. I thought that reporters checked up on these things.

I guess there's some value in allowing people to vent. But there's a reason for each of the legs of the "triad," and that might have been worth thinking about too.