BRAC

Air Force Voices has blogged previously on this subject. This AP article deals with a common theme running through this next round of BRAC: politics. The two main areas are concerns by (mainly) Democratic Congresscritters in regards to the use of the BRAC process by the Bush Administration for political gain, and political lobbying by local politicians from areas where bases are being threatened with closure. The first issue seems to me to be the more disgusting of the two. After all, regardless of how I feel about the whole BRAC process, I can understand why people want to lobby to maintain a military base in an area, even if that base is outdated, outmoded, or just plain useless. But the second charge appears to me to be as bad as Trent Lott's political posturing. To accuse people of playing politics with BRAC is the same thing as actually playing politics with BRAC, especially when the charges are likely unfounded.

Anyway, I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why we even need the BRAC Commission in the first place. It seems asinine for Congress to stick its nose this blatantly in the affairs of the DoD.

Regardless, this political posturing is something to keep an eye on.