Play of the Day: The Politics of Defense Contracting

In the wake of the sequester, congressmen from Ohio think we need tanks that the Army doesn’t.

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Despite the dedication of his library last week, Jay Leno looked back again at George W. Bush for jokes in his monologue. In mocking the former president’s governing style, saying Bush’s “secretly smart” intellect was the only secret that wasn’t leaked. Jimmy Fallon also looked back, taking Mitt Romney to task again for losing the 2012 presidential race.

In other news, President Barack Obama’s recent pledge to close the detention centers at Guantánamo Bay was also a topic Tuesday night, with Leno and Conan O’Brien both hitting economic notes in their bits.

After the bill passed to alleviate the FAA’s pain of sequester, the budget cuts are still affecting many aspects of government, including aid to seniors. Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert opened his show on the topic of the sequester and a tank program the Army doesn’t want. Unfortunately, members of Congress from Ohio want it because the political cost of losing jobs at the plant would be too high. Colbert highlighted this development in his own way, mocking the political aspect of the entire process.

Fast forward to 5:25 to see how Colbert thinks the government can repurpose the tanks.