Many Democrats, including President-elect Obama, took the Bush administration to task -- and rightfully so -- for failing, in some cases, to provide our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan with the most modern, up-to-date supplies, equipment and ordnance.

Now that they're firmly in power on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, Democrats are in position to put their money where their mouths are.

But so far, much of the talk about Obama's planned stimulus package, expected to be somewhere between $700 billion and $900 billion over the next two years, has centered on infrastructure -- building and repairing the nation's roads, bridges, sewers, schools and other public works projects.

Few people would argue there's not a need for this kind of domestic infrastructure spending -- so long as Congress doesn't turn it into a pork feeding frenzy.

But what about infrastructure spending on the military? There's a need for that too, yet there's been very little talk about it since the election.

In fact, some on the left want to pay for part of the nation's domestic needs by taking it out of the defense budget.

That would not only indicate Democrats' talk about improving troops' combat readiness was just so much empty campaign rhetoric, but it would also deprive the economy of the kind of shot in the arm that would do it the most good.

In a recent Wall Street Journal article, Harvard economics professor and former chairman of President Reagan's Council of Economics Advisers Martin Feldstein, wrote, "The increase in government spending needs to be a short-term surge with greater outlays in 2009 and 2010, but then tailing off sharply in 2011 when the economy should be almost back to its pre-recession level of activity. Buying military supplies and equipment ... can easily fit this surge pattern."

Feldstein points out that a 10 percent increase in defense outlays for research and procurement coupled with a 5 percent boost in operation and maintenance spending would add $10 billion to the Pentagon's budget. Those billions, says Feldstein, would create about 300,000 jobs -- and, according to Obama, jobs are what his stimulus package is supposed to be all about. Military recruitment would also be raised by 15 percent, providing another 30,000 jobs for the nation's young men and women.

Another important advantage to military infrastructure spending is that almost all of the equipment and supplies are made in the good, old U.S.A. -- and that, too, boosts domestic employment.

At some point Democratic leaders in Washington should remember their criticisms of the Bush administration's sometimes benign neglect of the military's infrastructure needs -- and move to remedy them.

Talk about a two-fer. The remedy could save U.S. lives in combat and help bring about economic recovery.

It's also the patriotic thing to do.