[tomxtr]

U.S. defense spending had declined from a Cold War high of around $375 billion in 1988 to around $265 billion in 1997, during the Clinton administration. It wasn't until Clinton's impending impeachment hearings in '99 that he agreed to increase defense spending by $124 billion over 7 years.

That's not to say that this is Clinton's fault. However, its common knowledge that Democrats prefer to spend more money on domestic programs than defense spending. Also, economies tend to be cyclical. To give Clinton all the credit for a booming economy during his administration may be overstating his influence.

If you've read or seen movies about wars, you realize that wars are fought with what you have now. To say that more lives could have been saved if body armor was improved or performed better, shouldn't be breaking news. That's like saying that more enemy soldiers could be killed if our weapons were more accurate. No shit!