Okay, I might be able to buy the fact that the F22 is essential for air superiority over the likes of North Korea and Iran (though don’t we have that already even without the F22?), but what’s the point of having air superiority over Russia and China these days?
Any war against either of these two nuclear powers would immediately devolve into lobbing hundreds of nukes at each other from long range. Lack of F22s would be the least of our problems at that point.
“Any war against either of these two nuclear powers would immediately devolve into lobbing hundreds of nukes at each other from long range”
That sounds so DU; illogical, simple minded, and defeatist. What makes you think a war with China turns into a nuke fest? You really think the leaders of China want to rule over radioactive waste?
If Russia and China are able to develop stealth fighters then they can sell them to the likes of Iran and North Korea and hence we need the F-22.
“Any war against either of these two nuclear powers would immediately devolve into lobbing hundreds of nukes at each other from long range. Lack of F22s would be the least of our problems at that point.”
War against China is quite possible. China has no way to deliver more than a few nuclear weapons to the US, so if war broke out over Taiwan (not under 0bama, but under the next President in four years or more) it would likely stay conventional.
If we have the political will, we can easily keep Taiwan independent unless too many major weapons systems are cut.