[Gaffer]

We use this term "Soft Power" in foreign policy, which is a persuasive approach using economic and cultural influence, to implement policy, which is a lot cheaper than military intervention, which is important when the national debt is high, and we haven't paid off the still ongoing wars.

Oh yes. It is such an effective means of achieving aims (dubious as Obama's are). It is of some note that the ones on the other side seem to devote so much of their soft economic power on achieving their aims, instead opting to sponsor terrorism, foster state-backed religious zealotry and using outright violence to achieve their "soft" aims. I'm not buying it.

[Ben Ficklin]

"I'm not buying it"

Yes you are, Mr. Taxpayer. Both Obama's budget request and the numbers that the GOP congress is throwing around are using the Overseas Contingency Operations money as a way to get around the sequester on defense spending in the FY 2016 budget.