Lawmaker condemns GDP-based defense.

• Position: WASHINGTON PULSE: NEWS FROM INSIDE THE BELTWAY

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* The Pentagon's top brass has been trying for some time to persuade Congress that the defense budget should be 4 percent of the nation's gross national product, versus about 3.2 percent currently (not including war spending).

But with defense budgets as high as they've been since World War II, some members of Congress are saying enough is enough. "Defense spending based on GDP? I don't think that's going to happen," said Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, chairman of the...