Quickies

• President Obama this week rolled out plans to make the military leaner, less expensive and more state of the art.  This would seem bad news to the Military Industrial Complex.

• Nonetheless, the defense industry likes what it sees in President Obama's leadership especially for the military.  He leads the way in donations from the defense industry.

• And military leaders from all branches support the president's plan.  "We the military are not being victimized by this budget issue," Joint Chiefs Chairman General Martin E. Dempsey said in an hour-long lecture at Duke University. "This is something we the Joint Chiefs have endorsed as best for America."

• The president is second only to Ron Paul in donations from military members.

• Today Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said "two brigade combat teams, or roughly 7,000 US troops, would be withdrawn from Europe, but rotational units would still maintain strong military presence in the region."  Yet another sign the president intends on refocusing our military away from WWII-era threats and toward 21st century realities.