Posted on 05/27/2005 9:50:42 AM PDT by ambrose
05/26/2005
Thune Threatens Votes On Bush Priorities
Senator John Thune has been one of the most loyal Republicans to President Bush, traveling around the country to raise money and championing the party's priorities.
Now that the Pentagon has targeted South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base for closure, Thune is increasingly flirting with the opposition. This week he threatened to vote against the nomination for John Bolton, Bush's embattled nominee to be United Nations ambassador. He's also has declined to take a position on the Central American Free Trade Agreement, another Bush priority.
Thune says Ellsworth will not go down without a fight. He says "I've made it clear that I am very disappointed with the Pentagon's decision."
The US House of Representatives has defeated an amendment that would have delayed the Pentagon's plans for military base closure.
Language co-sponsored by Democratic Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth was to be offered as an amendment to a bill authorizing funding for the Department of Defense.
It would have postponed the base closing process until most American troops return from Iraq and several Pentagon studies are completed.
No good deed goes unpunished. The Bush Administration did everything they could to get this guy elected. He finally beat Daschle, and look at him now! Sheesh!
This is major stupidity on the part of the republican leadership. Closing a military base in a tiny state like one of the Dakotas is a political disaster.
I think this is very bad behavior, and I hope it is short term for home state consumption. But it speaks badly of his character.
One of the reasons the Dakotas have voted for Rats in Congressional races, year after year, is because they're good at getting pork for the state.
That base was put there to begin with because at the time the threat was the Soviet Union and the quickest way there was over the pole. The threat doesn't exist anymore and there are better places to station the aircraft that will allow us to better deal with expected threats. It's a shame that Thune is placing politics above security, and in all honesty I expect this president to cave in on it.
I don't blame Thune on this at all...the Pentagon has no business closing a base is such a small population state..Thune is a good man and got rid of a real bad guy. I hope it won't take a vote against Bolton or a judge to get attention to the problem he will face at home. Not a good way to treat a new guy!!
It's hardball and I do not blame Thune at all....
Rush has been livid about this issue today .. saying there is no discipline in the repub senate that they would allow Thune's state to be devastated by this base loss.
After all we just went through to get rid of Tom Daschle, this is one of the rare occasions where I'd be happy to see politics take precedence.
I am pretty disappointed in Frist, although he's been getting bashed in private for weeks now by his team members. Clearly, he doesn't know how to make something happen.
Yes, I know it's tough, but that's what he signed on to do when he became Majority Leader. He doesn't have to win them all, but he has to win on the big items.
One of the key points of Tommy D's campaign is that he would keep the base open. He said Thune wouldn't have the juice in Washington to keep it open. Unfolding events are proving Tommy D was correct.
As they say, "all politics is local". He's protecting his state, as he should.
Thune may prevail (White House to ensure his re-election) but the once great state of maine will lose big time. Snowe and Collins have done nothing for the President, why should he help them? Politics is a contact sport.
I respectfully put forward that he had other means to protect his state and chose to throw Bolton under the bus.
Opening/closing/expanding/retracting military bases based on politics is a disaster.
At nation's expense? Somehow I doubt that's what the Founding Fathers had in mind :(
Thune has to represent South Dakota first. If they were threatenening to close a base there, I'd be playing hardball too.
The military is not in existance to be a state employer. It is there for the defense of the country. If the base is not needed, who cares what state or what senate seats are there.
Military bases should not be used as political weapons. Unneeded bases should be closed no matter what. Money for the military needs to be spent to support the countries defense not a senators.
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