Above All

VP Cheney asked his wife at the breakfast table if it bugs her
that people call him "Darth Vader." He said she answered,
"Not at all. It humanizes you."

We live in fame or go down in flame.
Hey! Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!
--Army Air Corps Song, Capt. Robert Crawford
___________

In this rare attempt at humor, VP Cheney fails to mention that the analogy to Darth is not absolute, as the latter did his own dirty work and wielded his own light sabre. He didn't have other priorities.

Ranger previously commented on the less-than-honest historicity included in the slick Air Force advertisements featuring a highly-stylized F-22 jet. What is the agenda for these spots: Is it recruiting, or lobbying Congress for money (which is illegal) ?

The Air Force Times says,

"(T)he print ads in The Washington Post, New York Times and USA Today looked more like they were aimed at decision-makers on the national scene."

"The ads don’t say much about service or sacrifice. You’d never know the Air Force is a military organization. You’d never know an unpopular war is in its sixth year. You’d never know airmen pull “in lieu of” duty, performing grunt work and sometimes getting blown up. The ads not only don’t encourage people to sign up at the recruiting office, they also don’t explain benefits the Air Force offers to an enlistee ("'Above All' ads Misfire.")

So who is the audience for these antiseptic ads promoting the indispensabilty and primacy of the Air Force in battle?

The Air Force has requested an additional $59 million for their "Above All" 2009 ad campaign. But Air Force Times questions whether the ad campaign is needed at all.

Ranger does not see a problem with recruiting literature, but lobbying and propaganda should not be financed with public funds.

The "Above All" ads are a questionable expenditure of defense funds.