Where Did the Money Go?

Lost amongst the debate about defunding the war is actual amount and scope of "defense" spending in the U.S. Being involved in the health care aspect of things you sometimes get the impression that runaway health care costs are going to bankrupt the country. I found the above graphic to be particularly sobering as where the money is really going. In a country supposedly concerned about the future of energy it is interesting to see this ranks dead last in government discretionary spending.
DefenseNews.com has interesting news about the international effects of unbridled arms spending throughout the world. The political silence on the part of both "parties" is deafening and an indictment of the American political system. Robert Dreyfuss puts it very clearly as to where the U.S. stands:

"By one count, U.S. defense spending in 2008 will amount to 29 times the combined military spending of all six so-called rogue states: Cuba, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria. The United States accounts for almost half -- approximately 48% -- of the entire world's spending on what we like to call "defense." Again, according to the Center for Arms Control and Nonproliferation, U.S. defense spending this year amounts to exactly twice the combined military spending of the next six biggest military powers: China, Russia, the U.K., France, Japan, and Germany."