Have money, will recruit

It's no secret that the armed forces are having trouble recruiting youngsters this year, and it's only supposed to get worse. So what's a beleaguered recruiter to do? Spend an extra $80 million on convincing kids to sign up:

Given this unpromising context, Business Week reports that the army will spend more money on recruitment ads next year, about $320m up from $240m this year. As it helpfully points out this amounts to $4,000 per recruit if the army signs up 80,000 next year - more than twice what Toyota spends to woo a new customer.

As part of this marketing drive, the army has plans for 15 televised town hall meetings in which carefully selected soldiers will put a positive spin on the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile TV ads will target parents with one featuring a mother's voice-over: "Thanks for bringing the best out the best in my child."

Jeebus! Does this adminstration use 1984 as a policy handbook?!?