One key trend in modern Democratic politics is the wholesale embrace of Veterans and Veterans issues.
By taking up the cause of caring for "...him who shall have borne the battle..." Democrats seek to gain credit for being "pro-military", something that most of the American public seems to be these days. But dig a little deeper, and Democratic embrace of Veterans issues is not the same thing as support for the military. In fact, Veterans are a key potential constituency for Democrats, occupying they do a position of dependency on the government (a valuable trait for potential Democratic voters). I am a retired Veteran, and I am (at times) a little embarrassed at the largess extended me in my dotage. A healthy pension, mostly free medical care, commissary privileges, access to the VA medical system, and a full menu of VA education, financial, and training benefits are just some of the wondrous emoluments of my status.
But larding the gravy train for Vets is NOT the same as supporting our people in uniform. That means so much more. It means providing them with the equipment they need to do their jobs...not just the popular stuff like up-armored HUMVEES and enhanced body armor...but the ships, planes, tanks and systems designed to support them. It means supporting the effort to undermine our enemies by providing our intelligence services with the tools they need to do their jobs, including enhanced surveillance. And it means...more than anything else...public support for winning the war they are in, not the one politicians would want them to be in.
If we are going to be the policeman of the world, and I don't know who else could do it, we need a much larger military. Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard. They should be well equipt and well funded. We should take proper care of our veterans when they come home. I also believe in what used to be called universal military training. Everyone should serve. There should be shared sacrifice and if that means bringing back the draft then so be it.
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