This from Jim Webb last week:
Gene Taylor, the Democrat who chairs the House Armed Services projection forces subcommittee, has repeatedly called for an increase in the size of the fleet. When the Democrats first took back the House, Taylor explained his priorities as “Shipbuilding, shipbuilding. Getting the numbers of the fleet up….Numbers do matter.” Getting the numbers of the fleet up would be a really impressive accomplishment for a Congress that’s accomplished next to nothing. As Ed Morrissey notes today, the Democratic advantage on the generic Congressional ballot has narrowed significantly, down to just 5 points in favor of the Dems (the first time in six months that the lead hasn’t been in the double digits). Much of the problem seems to be with independents. One suspects that a major shipbuilding program would be immensely popular among independent voters, and it would allow the Dems to appear strong on defense without alienating their base further on the issue of Iraq. It seems like a win-win.
