Save Our Bases!

Good news on the local base-closing front (from the Inquirer: hopefully, this will benefit Willow Grove Air Base – we should know soon)…

A federal judge handed those hoping to save Willow Grove Naval Air Station a significant victory this afternoon, ruling that Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld must get Gov. Rendell's approval before disbanding the base's Air National Guard unit.

Even before the Base Closure and Realignment Commission could vote on the fate of Willow Grove, U.S. District Judge John Padova ruled in favor of Rendell's position that he, not the Pentagon, is in charge of the 111th Fighter Wing of the Pennsylvania Air National Guard, the main unit at Willow Grove.

The judge further ruled that "the portion of the BRAC (Department of Defense) report that recommends deactivation of the 111th Fighter Wing ... is null and void."

The 111th flies A-10 attack jets.

The base closure committee in Washington, D.C., meanwhile, was just nearing the part of its agenda where it was scheduled to take up the Willow Grove closure. The impact of the judge's ruling on the commission was not yet clear.

And nationwide (also from the Inquirer)…

WASHINGTON - The base closing commission voted Friday to keep open Air Force bases in South Dakota and New Mexico - rejecting the Pentagon's plans to close them - as the panel labored toward conclusion of a politically delicate task that has brought alternating sighs of relief and exasperation in communities across America.

Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota would remain fully operational and Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico would stay open - at least until Dec. 31, 2009 - but lose all of its aircraft.

The decisions cheered in the base's home states were setbacks for Pentagon leaders.

The Ellsworth vote was a blessing for South Dakotans who feared losing some 4,000 jobs and a victory for Sen. John Thune and the state's other politicians who lobbied vigorously to save the base. Thune, a freshman Republican, unseated then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle partly on the strength of his claim that he would be better positioned to help save the base.

"This fight was not about me," Thune said just after the vote. "This whole decision was about the merits. It had nothing to do with the politics."

Right, and I’m the tooth fairy – if it involves Bushco, it involves politics. Someone in that cabal must read The Daily Kos, though, because he was posting about this earlier in the week. The bottom line, though, is that jobs are saved, and politically, I don’t care if that benefits Dems, Repugs, or both.

I came across a story that provides more background from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (here). I thought the very last paragraph was a bit curious in this one:

Though the focus of yesterday's hearing was the impact of base closings on homeland security, all invited Homeland Security Department officials, including Secretary Michael Chertoff, declined to testify.

I wonder why? Chertoff is the guy who said a few weeks ago that DHS has to decide whether to devote resources to preventing attacks from planes that could kill 3,000 people versus a train or subway attack that could kill 30, or words to that effect, and I immediately took issue with him on that claim. It’s curious to me, and a bit startling actually, that Chertoff wouldn’t speak up regarding the impact of base closings on the safety of the affected communities.

Update: Damn! (may have to register). Maybe the Air National Guard will be saved by the ruling.

Never forget that Bushco was responsible for this. Given that, even with the problems the Dems have, why would you EVER vote for a Repug again?