US defense chief says NATO outlook dim; future president may decide it's not worth the money

In a blunt valedictory address Friday in Brussels, Gates questioned NATO's viability, saying its members' penny-pinching and lack of political will could hasten the end of U.S. support.

You have to know where, why, and how to spend your money. Penny pinching isn't always a bad idea, neither is spending a lot always a good idea. It looks like we spent a lot of money on 'civilizing' the Middle East, in which, among them, is a faction that is intent upon conquering us. If he wants to criticize something, criticize that- excessive spending on nation building, on nations who should be building themselves.

I agreed with Bush at the time. The reason was that I thought his approach was better than what the left wanted to do, which seemed to me to be nothing. However, I never supported nation building, and I remember Bush said he was against it.

Now, it looks like neither the Bush approach nor the left's approach is any good. Yet another approach is needed. It should be a more modest proposal but a firm one- economic and cultural.

I am thinking of an economic competition against the oil producing states in the Mideast. We can win that. But not with windmills and solar power. With thorium and possibly nuclear fusion. We can win it by peaceful means- no bullets, just brains. We can demonstrate that we are indeed the strong horse.

But we do need to stop being stuck on stupid. We need to recognize that our way of life is worth preserving and defending. We are allowing those who do not share our values to undermine us- from within and from without.

This cultural weakness, of excessive guilt and self-flagellation, may need to change first. By doing so, the external threat, of excessive dependence on oil, can then be successfully countered. It can never be countered by a self-blaming, guilt-ridden ideology that worries more about a supposed global warming threat, which if it exists at all, is well off in the future, while the near threat, of oil dependence, exists now. If this stupidity can be overcome, NATO can still be successful. If it is not, no amount of money can make any difference.

You know something? Weakness does not promote peace. It can lead to war. I've argued that again and again, check my book reviews on Amazon. When asked why they attacked the US at Pearl Harbor, the Japanese said they thought we would not fight. We should hope for peace, pray for peace, but not to get overly naive about how the world really works sometimes. Sometimes, you just have to be ready to do whatever is necessary. Hopefully, by being strong economically and culturally, we can encourage any would be aggressor to refrain from attacking us. They would know that such an attack would be futile- but only if we convince them of our strength.