Obama and escalation of the Afghanistan war

Later today President Obama is expected to announce a major escalation of the war in Afghanistan by commiting more than 35,000 more soldiers to fight for "freedom". This does not include the increased number of private contractors that will no doubt benefit from the escalation.

Its a a massive betrayal of the people who voted for Obama who campaigned on his anti war credentials and promised to end the war. Recent polls in the USA found that 60% of the people who voted for him want reduced troop levels in Afghanistan.

But it is a massive windfall for the defense industry who have invested heavily in US politicians, and who were a major contributor to Obama's campaign.

According to the Center for Responsive Politics' OpenSecrets.org database, the top recipient of defense industry money in the 2008 election cycle was- surprise surprise- Barack Obama, whose haul of $1,029,997 far surpassed Republican contender Sen. John McCain's $696,948.

During the 2008 cycle, the defense industry contributed a total of $23.7 million to federal candidates -- far more than the $17.4 million it invested during the 2006 cycle or the $18.1 million in the 2004 cycle.

The top five defense industry contributors during the 2008 elections were Lockheed Martin at $2.5 million, Boeing at $2.1 million, Northrop Grumman at $1.8 million, and Raytheon and General Dynamics at $1.7 million each.