Interesting conversation on CNBC just a few minutes ago. Tennessee Republican senator Marsha Blackburn was on and she and Joe Kernen were doing a victory lap about the economy (unemployment up, stock market down, which is true). Andrew Ross Sorkin attempted, through Kernen’s constant interruptions (Kernen is the embodiment of the bullying and chauvinistic white, white-collar male), to get Blackburn to agree that if the economy is so good, wouldn’t this be the time to attempt to control the deficit increasing?

Kernel again interrupted and asked, “What, the way Obama did?” while completely ignoring that most of that increase was a result of TARP, which is like blaming a hospital for using the electricity to use defibrillators to save a heart attack victim’s life as opposed to the victim who smoked and overate every day for the previous 30 years. But never mind that.

Blackburn did agree that there’s too much fat in government. That’s when Michael Santolli, another CNBC regular, jumped in and noted that 80% of the federal budget is, and I quote, “Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid and Defense, and it would seem that defense is off the table…”

First, funny how Santolli put defense last. Second, why didn’t someone interject and ask, “WHY IS DEFENSE OFF THE TABLE?” While Social Security costs the country more, we all pay into it every week of our working lives. Defense is the second-biggest single expenditure. If it were cut by one-third we’d still be spending more on it than any other nation—oh, and we’re not within 3,000 miles of a hostile neighbor. Hmm.

But nobody asked.