Scarborough, Heilemann Trivialize Defense Cuts: 'Martians Could Invade Any Time'
On Morning Joe's coverage of the debt ceiling deal, Joe Scarborough trivialized potential defense cuts by joking that the money is needed to repel extraterrestrial invasion. "I understand why some neocons are very upset because the Martians could invade any time, and so do we need to have a bigger defense budget than every other country on the planet, because when the Martians do come, we want to make sure we that have our radar gun technology ready," said Scarborough.
[VIDEO BELOW THE FOLD]
New York Magazine's John Heilemann echoed this sentiment, suggesting that America's military is oversized. "Not just a bigger defense budget, Joe. You need to have a defense budget that's bigger by orders of magnitude. It must be two or three or four times bigger than anybody else's," said Heilemann.
Scarborough and Heilemann did not mention, of course, that the defense budget that would be cut supports the same military that not only defends the United States, but provides a defensive umbrella to our allies, and has delivered humanitarian aid the world over. The record of the United States military over the past century provides ample record that the US defense budget is far more than the frivolous gratuity Morning Joe makes it out to be.
A transcript follows below.
MSNBC
"Morning Joe"
08/02/2011
6:08 a.m. Eastern
JOE SCARBOROUGH: One issue that they actually tackled for the first time, it sounds like, defense.
HAROLD FORD, JR: And there's an automatic cut if the super-committee can't -
JOHN HEILEMANN: There's a big chunk.
SCARBOROUGH: Now listen, no doubt about it, listen, I understand why some neocons are very upset because the Martians could invade any time, and so do we need to have a bigger defense budget than every other country on the planet, because when the Martians do come, we want to make sure we have our radar gun technology ready.
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: Zap em.
HEILEMAN: Not just a bigger defense budget, Joe. You need to have a defense budget that's bigger by orders of magnitude. It must be two or three or four times bigger than anybody else's.
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Comments
If Martians did arrive ...
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 3:26pm.
... I'm pretty sure that the Democrat Party could get a US birth certificate for him/her/it so that they could get it on the ticket in 2012.
I guess we'd have to stop saying "green" after that, and call it the "g-word."
Actually, if the Martians do invade…
Submitted by Grumpy in Arizona on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 3:37pm.
They’ll give up any hope of conquest once they figure out the benefit’s of being an illegal alien… and brother, I do mean alien!
Beside’s they’ll probably just take over Martinique, and rename it “Martian-Eeek.” (So it’s really France’s problem.)
- Grump :o)
Good one, Grump.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 5:23pm.
Maybe Greenland?
So, do all of the countries who are comfortable under the
Submitted by nonncom on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 3:42pm.
umbrella of protection that we provide also pay us for that protection?.....if they do, then you can't count that against the defense budget....if the answer is no, than we need to get the hell out of there, bring the troops home, and disperse them on the borders to provide security and the local economic boost that their presence would provide...I mean, why let the military pump money into other countries economies?...
Upside down world.
Submitted by amyshulk on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 3:47pm.
Upside down world.
Ronald Reagan
Clinton Cut
Submitted by texusmc on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 3:49pm.
the military back in 1993. And that was with Dick Cheney as the Sec of Defense.(under G.H. Bush and Clinton until 1993)
See here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_Cheney
according to nyt http://www.nytimes.com/1993/06/18/us/clinton-and-congress-intelligence-b...
And look what happened. We were attacked at home and abroad until G.W. Bush was elected into office
1993 - The first World Trade Center bombing
1995 - Attempted crashing of plane on White House
1995 - Oklahoma City bombing
1996 - Khobar Towers bombing - Saudi Arabia
1998 - U.S. Embassy bombings Kenya/Tanzania
2000 - USS Cole Bombing - Yemen
This put us behind in not only intelligence, but also research and evelopment. So much in the civilian world starts in the military. This includes medical, communications, computers, and vehicles of all types. Took us years to "catch" up (which we still haven't really done). I am not saying that we need to spend spend spend, but be focused in what we spend our defense budget on. I do feel there is a need to go after over spending and fraud waste and abuse. But what programs do you think they will cut? I bet it will end up bieng things that will protect our newest batch of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines.
I saw this coming - gutting
Submitted by amyshulk on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 5:03pm.
I saw this coming - gutting the military and leaving us defenseless and ignorant is their goal. Sickening, hence my prior comment.
Ronald Reagan
Perfect...
Submitted by notinstl on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 4:21pm.
Scoff at the ONE THING that the government is constitutionally required to provide: the MILITARY while all this other crap is okay
Shmoe was a kind of a dick.
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 4:53pm.
Speaking of which, MSNBC just un-suspended Halperin.
I wonder if the Arch Conservative and his sidekick The Brain are plotting their next sting on Mark for tomorrow.
What did you do to Lori Joe?
Submitted by jmigyanka@msn.com on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 6:34pm.
Let's ask Joe Scarborough about the mysterious death of his political assistant (Lori Klausutis) in his Florida office - just prior to his resignation! Go figure! Was Lori his 'weiner' moment? A cover-up waiting to be revealed. This will take him off the air for sure. For all the suspicious facts, try these for openers:
1. http://archive.democrats.com/preview.cfm?term=Joe%20Scarborough
2. http://www.americanpolitics.com/20010808Klausutis.html
3. http://flyingsnail.com/Dahbud/firejoescarborough.html
What do other countries have to do with it?
Submitted by Dave81 on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 7:19pm.
Complaining that our defense budget is bigger than any other country is like complaining that Lance Armstrong is faster than any other cyclist. We have the strongest military in the world and nobody would dare attack us head on because of it. That's why they sneak onto planes and busses, because nobody can compete with our military. And since when did how much other countries spend on defense become a factor in our own spending?
You wanna complain that we're spending more than any other country on something, how about our public education system? We spend more than any other country on education and look at our dumb kids who can't give you correct change without checking Facebook. But try asking a Democrat to cut education spending.
Better See a Doctor, Joe
Submitted by Chris Norman on Tue, 08/02/2011 - 8:53pm.
What an obnoxious, ignorant, and foolish comment. Scarborough seems to have bizarre episodes like this - it makes one wonder if something occasionally presses against his brain.
You know, that's
Submitted by misterbee241 on Wed, 08/03/2011 - 11:28am.
the one thing that keeps me up at night - a Martian invasion. Now the Muslim with the suicide vest walking into the mall or the airport, or a church, that just doesnt concern me. But those sneaky Martians, well, that's a whole 'nother story.
Idiot.