Gates Channels Ike on Spending

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates invoking the spirit of former President and Supreme Cmdr. of Allied Forces in Europe Dwight D. Eisenhower in a call for a more frugal approach to spending by the Pentagon in a speech on May 7 at the Eisenhower Library in Abilene, Kansas.

In case anyone is confused that patriotism equates to tossing around buckets of money measured in the megabillion dollar range, Gates took a line from Ike to argue the opposite.

Gates said in his speech at the library that Eisenhower had a "passionate belief that the U.S. should spend as much as necessary on national defense -- but not one penny more."

He then concluded, "I say the patriot today is the fellow who can do the job with less money."

Gates' entire speech is a must read. Read and highlight your own copy.