Obama seeks to parlay bin Laden's demise into expanded defense cuts

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Washington Examiner:

With the death of Osama bin Laden firmly cementing President Obama's commander-in-chief credentials, the White House is eager to parlay the triumph into leverage for widespread defense cuts that have met with stiff resistance from Republicans on Capitol Hill.
At a minimum, the raid on bin Laden's compound fortifies the president's pledge to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan in July, and softens Republican backlash against scaling back an increasingly unpopular war.

Yet, those calling for a fundamental shift in how the United States funds the military -- arguing that the current model reflects an outdated, massive boots-on-the-ground approach -- say this can be a turning point for a push that has long been deemed political suicide.

"The reason Democrats had trouble in the past is they were perceived as weak on defense," said Lawrence Korb, assistant defense secretary under President Ronald Reagan. "Getting rid of public enemy No. 1 dispels that. Obama can say we're going to do this and has the credibility to back it up."

On the heels of widespread cuts instituted by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Obama is proposing $400 billion more in defense spending reductions over the next 12 years. Since the Sept. 11 terrorist strikes, the Pentagon budget has skyrocketed from just over $300 billion annually to about $700 billion this year.