The official line on FCS is that it is on budget and on schedule. But that may be more a reflection of its nebulous performance criteria than any real progress.

An invisible line has been crossed, and the decline in Rumsfeld?s tenure has now begun. He has gradually alienated each of his core constituencies, including the Congress, the media, the think tanks, the defense industry and now much of the officer corps.

It is a little thinner than $1.5 but the bottom line is that we do have a balanced budget.

It's just to guarantee that we're not left blind against an enemy missile launch.

As the war in Iraq drags on, the Army is accumulating a collection of problems that cumulatively could call into question the viability of an all-volunteer force.

Since it's actually a handful of nuts with no real resources at their command, it's a little hard to see why such imagery is appropriate.