One of the advantages of a democratic system is self-correction. When someone spots a screwup that can be fixed with legislation, the mechanisms exist to get them fixed. Of course, it's never really that simple, as this blackfive piece makes abundently clear:

HR 4323 is a bill designed to give the Department of Defense the ability to have Rapid Acquisition Authority (RAA). This ability is desired in order to speed up deployments, make them more effective and to provide adequate protection and facilities for our troops during combat emergencies.

The holdup is, no surprise, politically-based. The leaders are, of course, the same Democrats who blame the administration for the military's lack of preparedness. Can't have a law passed that would make it easier to be prepared before the election, can we*? Pay no attention to the armor-less hummvee on your right as you enter the booth please.

Via Misha.

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* "Wouldn't need it if..." blah blah blah. Yeah, but that misses the point. Petty politics is holding up a bill that, if enacted, would save lives. The system's broken, it's been that way for at least the past twenty years, and this bill helps fix it. Why stop it at all except to get a few extra digs before November?