A recent comment in Washington Post has pointed out that the US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld is shortsighted, especially in his political insight.

The article refers to the recent "Quadrennial Defense Review" submitted by the US Department of Defense to ask to develop long-range bombers and offensive submarines, buy three kinds of short range aircraft including F/A22, and build more destroyers and aircraft carriers, making the budget for weapons purchase in 2007 reach US $84 billion. The article accused such increasing military expenditure for "possible threat" from other countries including China of squandering money because neither China nor any other country constitutes a danger to America's military advantage so far. The report can only make the stocks of the military weapons companies increase drastically.

The article reminds us of the occasion when Correta Scott King's funeral was held recently. At the funeral, Christian Coalition leader Dr.Joseph Lowery said directly that Mrs King had spread the messages of anti-poverty, anti-racism and anti-war all her life. "She deplored the terror inflicted by our smart bombs on missions way afar."

"We know now there were no weapons of mass destruction over there. But Coretta knew, and we knew, that there are weapons of misdirection right down here.... For war, billions more, but no more for the poor."

His speech won a long applause. Former president Jimmy Carter also echoed him.

"The couple overcame one of the largest challenges in life, and used non-violent means for the fierce struggle for freedom and justice."

Carter went on to say that the struggle has not yet ended, one can see it from the disaster of Katrina storm and the facial expression of its victims, not all the US citizens enjoy equal opportunities.

The Washington Post's comment is quite true. The US military expenditure has reached the total of defense expenditures of more than 100 countries together in the world. Compared with the US military spending, China's military expenditure is just the odd of the US.

Facing such a big gap, the US Department of Defense report is still making an imaginary enemy and taking "China Threat" as its pretext to develop long-range and short-range weapons and aircraft and submarines. This can only prove that the defense secretary is shortsighted. And the people in DOD are still using "Cold War" mindset to see today's China and do not see the peaceful development in China.

The article on the third page of People's Daily, Feb. 15, is translated by People's Daily Online