While it may not be fair to say they don't deserve to make what they are making, it is correct to question why they are making so much money. Their profitability is tied to government policy decisions.

The requirements are pretty onerous.

The Iraq war is the driving force behind the Army's recruiting problem. Working in the civilian economy doesn't entail the risk of getting blown up by an IED in Iraq.

The political atmosphere is charged. Democrats can't afford to be seen as soft on defense or terrorism. They're going to have to fight the social cuts without bargaining on defense.

Once you tell the bad guys that you have a created a program in which people can get around security, then you have created an incentive for them to tap into that system. Do you really want that?

Stop-loss masks the recruiting problem. We are talking about thousands -- if not tens of thousands -- of troops who are being held past their release date.

It would not surprise me, ... just given how much President Bush defers to Rumsfeld on every issue. The president might see this as a vote of no-confidence in Rumsfeld. The surprise would be if he does sign off on it.