What’s “BRAC’ing” mean?
Defense Base Closure and Realignment.
Thune basically pledged to oppose Bolton unless the Pentagon kissed his butt and kept an unused airforce base in his home state. In short, political hostage taking and blackmail. This was at a time when the RATs were on the warpath against Bolton and we needed every Republican on board. Bush was forced to recess appoint Bolton because of Thune & Voinvoich’s defections, and Bolton’s career never recovered.
Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC)
Base Realignment and Closure Commission-—it’s the committee which chooses the military bases that are to close and those that are to remain open. The committee makes its recommendations, and Congress has to accept either all or none. It was conceived as way of passing the buck in order to shield individual congressmen from the wrath of their constituents if a base in their district was closed.