Will US budget cuts lead to splendid isolation?
President Obama published his budget plan to reduce spending on the military. Secretary of State Kerry warned that this new plan would promote America's isolation. Kerry told DW reporters that this is not the budget the US needs, nor is it what the President wants, it is the best he could do. The military budget cuts consist of the reduction of spending by $31 billion in 2014, and another $45 billion by 2015. According to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, the Pentagon plans to reduce the number of US Army soldiers from 520,000 to 440,000.
America's foreign policy has much room for improvement. I agree with Andrew Bacevich and David Adesnik. The Expressed Powers of the President are measured by Congress through Checks and Balances. This Budget Plan, according to Secretary Kerry, "was the best the president could get. It's not what he wanted." I take this as the only way President Obama could even think about getting a budget passed through the Republican Congress would be to make adaptations. The reduction in spending is very significant; however, I believe the budget is negatively affecting the military. Defense Secretary Hagel stated that the Pentagon will reduce soldiers. Soldiers are expensive, but they are pocket change compared to the extremely expensive weapon, naval, and fighter jets being produced by the Navy and Air-force.
As Chief Executive, President Obama needs to run the country to his best ability. The level of partisanship and selfishness is disgusting. According to a poll conducted by the Pew Research Center and the Council on Foreign Relations, 52% of Americans believe the United States should "mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along to the best they can on their own." The current US sanctions and interference with the Crimean and Ukrainian Crisis go completely against the American public. The President of the United States is not only the Commander in Chief but also our Moral leader. He must do his best to represent America, and instead of showing the world that we like to meddle in other countries affairs, he should show that we will not tolerate war crimes or other crimes against humanity, yet other countries are free to participate in democracy without the US over-watch.
