So the hawks circling Obama will get got their troop escalation in Afghanistan.

It galls me how they pose as Brave Thinkers Who (Alone) Understand The Dangerous World We Live In.

I say to them: if a bigger war is so vital to our security, show some political spine and support a thing that would separate patriots from posers – a $30 billion surtax to cover the cost of a troop surge. (Best estimate: $1 million per soldier per year.)

If you can’t do it, then you’re saying the adventure is not vital after all.

The surtax’s proponent, Rep. Dave Obey, makes the sound point that if national health insurance reform and other vital domestic initiatives have had to be “deficit neutral” (yes, they have!), so should this military adventure.

But don’t expect a lot of takers.

In the years I observed DC’s military hawks and deficit hawks (usually the same birds), they lose their tail feathers when the question is — Gasp! Raising taxes! — or making the military live on a pay-as-you-go-basis. Continue reading