Pre-BRAC announcements comments by GOP lawmakers that "Clout does not matter" may now be described as "I sure wish I hadn't said that."
Do you get the feeling that the below May 11 article from the Associated Press might contain a bit of "I wish I hadn't said that." I say this in the context of the following comments by the Dean that were written post-BRAC announcements.
This week -- on May 17 week after the BRAC announcements were made on May 13 -- Bill Shipp writes:
Georgia's political power has moved south. Two lawmakers from the coastal plain, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Moultrie, and Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, have emerged as the state's new political musclemen. Here's the evidence: The Pentagon recommended adding personnel and expanding missions at bases all across south and middle Georgia. Fort Benning, Kings Bay and Robins Air Force Base were given renewed lives and larger payrolls.
Just a week ago with possible base closures of at least one if not two military bases in the Other Georgia were a distinct possibility, Republican lawmakers were saying protecting military bases is not about clout, and that they were getting sick and tired of hearing that it was.
As reported in an May 11 Associated Press article:
No Sam Nunn. No Carl Vinson. No Newt Gingrich. What will happen to Georgia's military bases now?
Probably the same thing that would happen if those three congressional legends were still around, say the new crop of Georgia lawmakers - many of whom are growing tired of the constant comparisons to their predecessors.
As the congressional delegation awaits Friday's announcement of which bases will close, there is an acknowledgment that one or more Georgia bases could be on the list.
It's an unfair analogy, they say, to assume Georgia survived previous rounds unscathed solely because of Nunn and Vinson, both former Senate Armed Services chairmen, and Gingrich, a former House speaker. The process is far different now, and far more bases could be targeted.
Unlike past base closure rounds, when politics often played a major role even when the Pentagon pledged it wouldn't, this one seems focused on mission capacity and national defense. The criteria for closure were released well in advance rather than kept private, giving all states plenty of time to prepare.
Thus, Congress figures to have little role in keeping a base off the closure list or getting it removed after Friday. The real role, says U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah and a member of a defense spending panel, is that of "worker bee" - winning projects and facilities that highlight the importance of a base. That, he says, is where Georgia has prospered in recent years.
Even without Nunn, Vinson and Gingrich, Georgia's delegation has landed millions in construction money in recent years bulking up the missions at the state's bases, giving them a better shot at survival or even expansion.
Fort Stewart has received almost $300 million in new construction money in the last three years. When the B-1 bombers were moved out of the hangars at Robins Air Force Base, lawmakers lobbied for the Joint-STARS intelligence aircraft to replace them.
Even Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld decided to back off of plans to eliminate a contract for the C-130J, made at Lockheed Martin's Marietta plant, after plenty of arm-twisting by Congress.
This week -- on May 17 week after the BRAC announcements were made on May 13 -- Bill Shipp writes:
Georgia's political power has moved south. Two lawmakers from the coastal plain, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Moultrie, and Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah, have emerged as the state's new political musclemen. Here's the evidence: The Pentagon recommended adding personnel and expanding missions at bases all across south and middle Georgia. Fort Benning, Kings Bay and Robins Air Force Base were given renewed lives and larger payrolls.
Just a week ago with possible base closures of at least one if not two military bases in the Other Georgia were a distinct possibility, Republican lawmakers were saying protecting military bases is not about clout, and that they were getting sick and tired of hearing that it was.
As reported in an May 11 Associated Press article:
No Sam Nunn. No Carl Vinson. No Newt Gingrich. What will happen to Georgia's military bases now?
Probably the same thing that would happen if those three congressional legends were still around, say the new crop of Georgia lawmakers - many of whom are growing tired of the constant comparisons to their predecessors.
As the congressional delegation awaits Friday's announcement of which bases will close, there is an acknowledgment that one or more Georgia bases could be on the list.
It's an unfair analogy, they say, to assume Georgia survived previous rounds unscathed solely because of Nunn and Vinson, both former Senate Armed Services chairmen, and Gingrich, a former House speaker. The process is far different now, and far more bases could be targeted.
Unlike past base closure rounds, when politics often played a major role even when the Pentagon pledged it wouldn't, this one seems focused on mission capacity and national defense. The criteria for closure were released well in advance rather than kept private, giving all states plenty of time to prepare.
Thus, Congress figures to have little role in keeping a base off the closure list or getting it removed after Friday. The real role, says U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Savannah and a member of a defense spending panel, is that of "worker bee" - winning projects and facilities that highlight the importance of a base. That, he says, is where Georgia has prospered in recent years.
Even without Nunn, Vinson and Gingrich, Georgia's delegation has landed millions in construction money in recent years bulking up the missions at the state's bases, giving them a better shot at survival or even expansion.
Fort Stewart has received almost $300 million in new construction money in the last three years. When the B-1 bombers were moved out of the hangars at Robins Air Force Base, lawmakers lobbied for the Joint-STARS intelligence aircraft to replace them.
Even Tuesday, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld decided to back off of plans to eliminate a contract for the C-130J, made at Lockheed Martin's Marietta plant, after plenty of arm-twisting by Congress.
posted by Sid Cottingham | 12:48 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home