The Republicans are no slouches themselves - in fact, they are "helping."
Our perfumed princes at the Pentagon are equally culpable IMHO. They had a year and a half to plan for the sequestration, but spent most of that time crying and moaning about the effects on readiness.
They've been making excuses that they would never let their junior officers get away with.
As a young lieutenant, I was reminded constantly that everything my unit did, or failed to do, was my responsibility. It seems to me that these generals have forgotten that mantra.
The ugly truth is there was no way to "plan" for cutting $46 Billion in the middle of a Fiscal Year. Moreover, had the Pentagon taken the lead before the election year and started cutting before the cuts actually went into effect, they would have sent a signal to Congress that they cuts were just hunky dory.
Google the news history of Sequestration from last summer and fall - you will find that both parties told the military and the country that these cuts would not happen, because they were so destructive to the military (it take 50% of all cuts despite being 17% of the budget).
The military is the hostage in this ugly political game, and the hostage was shot in the kneecaps.