Four Less-Reported Pieces of Hugely Good News

OK, it's Monday, so let's slough off our national case of the Sundays and kick the week off with four pieces of less-reported but nonetheless significantly awesome headlines -- and requisite kudos to President Obama:

1. "Defense Official: Obama Calling for Defense Budget Cuts": Fox News is reporting that "a senior U.S. defense official" is saying that the Obama administration "has asked the military's Joint Chiefs of Staff to cut the Pentagon's budget request for the fiscal year 2010 by more than 10 percent -- about $55 billion." Fox News may be trying to use this story to whip up the "weak on national security" offensive against Obama, but if public opinion data is any indication, it won't work. What you rarely hear from a Pentagon-worshiping media is that the American people believe we spend way too much on defense right now. According to a 2007 Gallup poll, "the public's view that the federal government is spending too much on the military has increased substantially this year, to its highest level in more than 15 years." The poll found a plurality - more than 4 in 10 Americans - now saying the government is spending too much for national defense and the military. Likewise a 2005 PIPA poll shows that, if given the chance, Americans would make deep cuts to the bloated defense budget and redirect most of the savings into domestic programs like health care. Big kudos to President Obama for starting to take on the long-overdue process of reducing defense spending.

2. "Obama's Order Is Likely to Tighten Auto Standards":