Bake sale evolution

There has been quite a lot of commentary on Al Gore's fiery (some would call it crazy) speech of 26 May. I want to mention one little anecdote Gore employs to criticize the administration:

"Luckily, there was a high level of competence on the part of our soldiers even though they were denied the tools and the numbers they needed for their mission. What a disgrace that their families have to hold bake sales to buy discarded Kevlar vests to stuff into the floorboards of the Humvees! Bake sales for body armor."

Notice that Gore isn't claiming the soldiers don't have body armor to wear. It's a vehicular armor issue. I'm not really surprised that Kevlar vests-as-floorboards are not standard military issue yet, but that's beside my point. No, I merely want it noted that Gore was speaking to a MoveOn-affiliated crowd, a constituency that historically has not exhibited staunch support of profligate military spending. So the complaint rings a bit hollow. In fact, doesn't the following lament sound at all familiar?

"It will be a great day when our schools get all the money they need and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber."

Poster

New York

1983

That this should actually come true in some small way and the political left professes outrage at it; well, it strikes me as decidedly odd.