The Daily News nails it:Politics shouldn't be reason for not closing bases

Portland absolutely deserves what it's getting. The closure of Portland AFB is long overdue.

But the impetus for this decision may very well have been the foolish and irresponsible decision of Mayor Tom Potter to throw a snit and withdraw Portland from the Joint Terrorist Task Force, sending a clear message that he is completely unconcerned about regional security.

Add that to the bizarre and idiotic laws in place concerning Portland's handling of illegal aliens, and, well, there's a recipe for "you asked for it."

It's of not that Senator Murray, who falsely claimed credit for stopping the closure of VA hospitals in Washington State, remains relatively quiet on the issue, instead letting her hopeless sister, Senator Cantvotewell try and take a leading role in "saving" Portland AFB.

So, when the final word comes closing this dog, do we see that as yet another sign of Cantvotewell's ineffectiveness?

I can't WAIT for the spin the democrats use on THAT one.




Politics shouldn't be reason for not closing bases

Aug 24, 2005 - 08:58:12 am PDT
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Oregon's congressional delegation has mounted an aggressive campaign this summer to save the state's Portland-based Air National Guard squadron, which the Pentagon intends to dismantle as part of a new round of base closures. Like virtually all politically inspired campaigns, this one is rife with exaggeration --- much of it having to do with the part the squadron's 18 F-15 fighter jets play in protecting the Pacific Northwest.

We wouldn't want to diminish this Portland Guard unit's contribution to the region's defense. Neither would we want to appear entirely unsympathetic with the unspoken economic concern that underlies this effort to rewrite the realignment plan. (There but for the grace of Pentagon brass goes one or more of Washington's military assets.)

But when it comes to defending both this region and the nation as a whole, we trust the judgment of those military strategists who drafted this base closure and realignment plan more than the somewhat conflicted thinking of regional politicians.

Oregonians would remain well-defended under the Pentagon's plan, no doubt. And, if the truth be told, the loss of those Portland-based F-15s to Atlantic City, N.J., and New Orleans would have little economic impact. The realignment would cost the Portland-Beaverton-Vancouver metro area 564 direct jobs and another 454 indirect jobs over the 2006-2011 period, according to the Air Force's summary of its base closure and realignment selection process.

The nine-member Base Closure Commission may or may not sustain the Pentagon's decision with regard to the Guard squadron at Portland International Airport. In either case, we would expect the commission to base its decision on military need, alone. Commissioners shouldn't be swayed by political arguments. Indeed, the commission was created some 20 years ago as part of a process expressly designed to factor out the politicians.

Under this process, the commission reviews and finalizes Pentagon recommendations. The commissions list of recommended closures and realignments is then forwarded to Congress for an up-or-down vote. Members can't tamper with the list; they can only accept or reject the recommendations as a whole.

This, of course, is why Oregon lawmakers and their sympathetic Washington counterparts have been so busy in recent weeks lobbying the commission. It's their last chance to change the list piecemeal. But few, if any, such changes will be made if this commission works as intended.