Former Republican Budget Committee staffer Mike Lofgren, commenting on what I call “The Cult Of The National Security State” in HuffPo today:

Based on my almost three decades on Capitol Hill, most of them involved in defense budgeting, I can say authoritatively that military spending evokes an almost mystical reverence among many members of Congress. A $325-billion defense program like the F-35, however technically flawed, typically engenders less floor debate than relatively miniscule domestic programs such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Spot on.