Is the F-22 Worth it?

I found this on a foreign policy think tank:

April 7, 2006

Is the F-22 Worth the Money?

Pierre Sprey was one of the founding members of the so-called “fighter mafia” – the group that conceived America’s most successful modern combat aircraft: the F-15, the F-16, and the A-10.

James Stevenson is the former editor of the Navy Fighter Weapons School’s Topgun Journal and the author of two comprehensive books on the Navy’s F-18 and A-12 aircraft.

The two part briefing (see links below) produced by these experts assessed from history what characteristics separate air-to-air fighter winners from the losers, and how the Air Force’s F-22 (now assessed by the Government Accountability Office to cost $361 million per aircraft) compares. The results of the analysis are not what the Air Force would agree with and have significant implications for America’s conventional military power, should we in the future have to face an opponent with a competent air force. In short, proceeding with the F-22 program will make the United States weaker, not stronger.

and the two PDF files
http://www.cdi.org/pdfs/Sprey%20Quarter%20Century.pdf
http://www.cdi.org/pdfs/F-22%20Presentation%20CDI%204-7-06.pdf

—–
please read the PDF files for more info.
basically they are arguing against big heavy expensive fighters like the F-22, and support the idea of numerous smaller fighters in the veins of the F-5, earlier F-16s, etc. There’s alot of debateable comments they made, especially how they frame the entire issue in the first place. Wanted to hear what your thoughts are.