ARG/MEU operations revolutionized by a modern "scout" airplane?

Okay.  Gotta set this one up for you.  Dan Goure over at National Interest wrote another glowing article on the F-35 disguised as a push for amphibious forces "leading the way" to US dominance in the 21st century.

You can read the love fest here.

What has me spinning?  The attributes that he gives the F-35 that makes it a "game changer".  Check this out from the article.

For the first time, the Marine aviation unit deployed on the Essex amphibious assault ship are operating the F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing variant of the Joint Strike Fighter. The F-35B’s sensors and targeting systems will provide the MEU/ARG with the means to transform operations on land and at sea.

What does that sound like to you?  Let me give you a hint from Wikipedia under their "naval scout" entry...

 Quite possibly the most illustrious use of scout planes were with the sister battleships Yamato and Musashi. Their extremely long range meant that they could fire over the horizon, and scout planes were needed to spot enemy ships. 

What was that?  The article is talking about pushing inland, not attacking enemy ships?  Got you covered.  From the same entry.

 While the "traditional" role of scout planes was to spot enemy fleets, during World War II scout planes were essential for battleships and other surface warships during bombardment of land targets, as it was difficult to see an enemy position, even with binoculars. 

You need more sauce for the goose that the F-35 is being promoted as a modern day scout?  More from Goure's article!

 With the ability of the F-35B to provide long-range targeting information, surface warfare assets can be brought to bear against hostile land and sea forces.

So what does this mean?

It means that the Marine Corps has struggled long and hard, wrecked its budget and in the end bought itself a modern day Kingfisher.

What's the reason behind this mini-rant?

Proponents of the F-35...especially in Marine Corps use...are no longer talking about how it will support Marines on the ground.  They don't talk about how it will defend Marines against enemy air attack or protect the fleet.

What are they talking about?

It being a sensor node so that other fires can be directed at a target.

That might be the new hotness but we need something a little more kinetic to protect our Marines and our force.  Stop telling me how it will direct fires and show it fully loaded ready to bring hate and anger to our enemies.  Show air to ground setups and give me a firepower demonstration.  Do the same for a max air to air/fleet defense setup.

Tell me something, anything, but this tired diatribe of it being a sensor node.  If we just needed a damn sensor then we should be filling the decks with stealthy UAVs and calling it a day.

We're past the point of baffling the public with bullshit.  We need real shit now.