ARMS RACE RATIONAL BUT ILLOGICAL

I had an extremely interesting and for me productive after Christmas dinner conversation with a son-in-law. My point was that it no long rational for a country to conquer another country such as China verses the United States. Therefore, it is no longer rational for us or for them to expend millions of dollars to amass nuclear arms and massive armies and stockpile of weapons of war. They could not possible conquer and occupy us nor could we conquer them. It would require massive numbers of occupiers, etc, etc. My son-in-law’s point, which was simple but effective, a rogue leader may not be rational but it is not only rational but obligatory that we protect ourselves against rogue people: the same kind of people we encountered in the past; Stalin, Hitler, etc, etc. Modern examples of places where unpredictable leaders could pop up include North Korea, Iran, and unfortunately China. Agreeing with this is equivalent to saying an arms race is rational. It may be rational but it is also illogical. However, a person like McCain fanning these flames is what builds the military industrial complex. It will take an understanding population and a great president to balance our defense needs with out-of-control industrialist greed. I think the American people are those people and Obama is that President.