Politicians in both parties might be reluctant to let Defense Secretary Robert Gates have his way with the Pentagon budget--and they, the rank and file, will ultimately have the final say when a real piece of legislation comes to a vote. But Gates and the administration do have some powerful allies on Capitol Hill, and their efforts will be crucial to the success or failure of the attempted overhaul.

We reported a week ago that one of the lone significant voices speaking out in support of the proposed reforms belongs to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. But while McCain wasted no time getting in front of the issue, the committee's chairman, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), remained silent all week.

He broke that silence on Saturday.

Bloomberg reported over the weekend that Levin is bullish on the proposal. "It's the right direction," Levin said. "This is how can we be armed more effectively at a more affordable cost."

Levin added that the committee would tackle the plan several weeks from now, starting with testimony from outside experts. In the meantime, he's taking issue with the claims of certain Republicans that Gates and the Obama administration are trying to gut the defense department.

"Secretary Gates is not going to disarm America," Levin said. "President Obama is not going to disarm America. The question is: how can we be effectively armed?"