“The U.S. Senate voted on Tuesday to stop production of the F-22 fighter plane, handing President Barack Obama a victory as he tries to rein in defense spending,” reports Reuters. The Senate actually voted 58-40 in favour of funding the additional Raptors, but alas, the dreaded filibuster threat meant 60 votes were needed for the amendment, which would have funded seven additional fighters. The House still must vote on the measure but already there are signs that some Representatives were becoming more lukewarm to the proposal.

Memo to Reuters: “Barack Obama” and “rein in spending” don’t belong in the same sentence. The paltry sum saved by cutting the F-22 — $1.75 billion in a $600-plus billion bill — is further evidence that national defence is a laughing matter to the president. Granted, every little bit of saving helps when the U.S. is facing a $1.8 trillion deficit, but how about scuttling the proposed health care traincrash instead? Unlike health care, national defence is actually enumerated in the Constitution as a federal responsibility.

The Senate did pass one worthy national security objective as part of the Bill: legislation on so-called “hate crimes.” Reuters notes, “Last week, the Senate approved a measure that would expand hate-crime protection to gays and lesbians, and on Monday also extended that protection to military members.”

Well that’s all right then. When those missing Raptors are needed over the battlefield, any surviving troops can reassure themselves that at least they will be safe in the showers afterwards.