Enjoy your moral values, Red Staters!

Es scheint mir, dass Sen. Collins und Sen. Snowe nicht Fuerhertreuen genug waren.

I think the optimal word here is "proposed".

Don't you think that senators from these states could play hardball with Rummy, and threaten military spending in other areas in retaliation for the base closings? Or put the heat to Rummy and the DOD on other ways as well? Considering Trent Lott's talent for drummming up DOD contracts for that Biloxi shipyard to build vessels that the Navy niether asked for or wanted. I think that list will get trimmed through Glad-handing, manipulation, and flat out intimidation.

For some reason I imagine the right-wing noise machine suddenly being against base closings, since we have to get ready to invade Iran....urr...I mean fight the War on Terror.

How prone do you think Rummy is to pressure from his boss Dick Cheney...urr..I mean Bush? I imagine when the final list comes out, most of the base closings will be in the Blue States, with the Red State bases being "miracously" saved.

My brother in law works for the DOD. He says Rummy likes to hire contractors for all work. As we know, the waste and fraud compiled with private contractors greatly exceeds that of the government. This is all about corporate welfare.

Keep the bases in the USA open to defend the USA. Close the foreign bases. What are we still doing in S. Korea and Germany for example?

And closing Walter Reed only to spend an approx. $1BIL to build a new one down the road?

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/05/13/national/w081839D62.DTL

In previous rounds, 97 out of 522 major bases were closed, saving an estimated $29 billion. This year's cuts were expected to be even bigger, but U.S. military officials are planning to move some 70,000 personnel currently based in Europe and Asia back to the United States.

Let's hope they plan on putting at least 12,000 of those personnel on the borders to protect our ass.

Nice to see some of the worst of the GOP Senate Caucus among those affected by this, namely Thune, Chambliss and the ultra-dimwitted Allen. Best of all is Santorum. All that guy gets is bad news these days...if I were him, I'd forgoe running for reelection next year and just concentrate on 2008, rather than lose and see his political future ruined (much like Romney seems to be leaning to).

And Lott...well, this just gives Lott another reason to hate Bush. That's Lott's pork pet there and if nothing else has put Bush on his shit list, cutting it sure as hell will.

Some states gain people and have facilities strengthened, despite losing facilities. Georgia is a net gainer despite the loss of 3 Atlanta-area bases, all of which occupy land that could easily be converted to other uses (with a nice return). The town of Forest Park already has a plan to redevelop rather tiny Fort Gillem. Fort McPherson is in the path of gentrification and is on the metro line. Its historic buildings would make nice housing or offices.

The Walter Reed closure only makes sense if they sell the land. It sounds like they'll keep labs there (which is odd--the Forest Glen facility should have absorbed all of those). The site is near the finally reviving old center of Silver Spring and not far from a metro stop. Redevlopment could help spur changes in the seedy Georgia Avenue buisness district nearby, which is an nomoly in an otherwise stabel area of middle-to-upper middle income homeowners.

Rich, thanks for that background.

Maine is not a red state, even though Senators Collins and Snowe are republicans.

Hey, what about David Vitter and the New Orleans Naval Activity, it's bigger than Pascagoula and it's on both sides of the river?

Don't you think that senators from these states could play hardball with Rummy, and threaten military spending in other areas in retaliation for the base closings?

Texas gains 5,000 new military jobs. Oklahoma 4,000. The bluestates lose big time. I'm sure some Dems will bitch...

Barry McCaffery said the last round of cuts saved $62.5 billion dollars, and only cost $65 billion to achieve those savings. Republi-con logic, don't even think about it.

Much like Tom Frank noted in "What's the Matter with Kansas".....Vote to overturn Roe v. Wade and get base closings in return.

It's Fort Monroe (Hampton, VA) not Fort Moore, despite the AP's error in the inital reporting. It's represented in the House by the Thelma Drake (2nd District), a freshman Republican.

Jillian,

Walter Reed needs to be closed and rebuilt! I honestly hope they spend a hell of a lot more than 1 billion on the new hospital too.