Back to BRAC

As my colleagues have noted, our esteemed fellows on the left of the regional blogosphere are having a field day over the inclusion of Ellsworth on the BRAC list of bases to be closed.  Unlike some of my colleagues, I hardly think this is unfair.  John Thune promised to defend Ellsworth as did Tom Daschle, and if Daschle had won and the outcome been the same, we'd be posting the same kind of stuff that the Clean Cut Kid is posting. 

I think the CCK is being a little harsh to call Thune's pledge a lie or delusion.  He may well have believed that he had enough influence to protect Ellsworth or, equally embarrassing to Republicans, he may have been misled by the White House.  But its still Thune's ball.  Winning means having to take responsibility.

But I am doubtful that either would have been able to alter the outcome.  Virginia was hit rather harder than South Dakota, in spite of the fact that John Warner is the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  A committee chair has about as much power as any human being, including the President, in influencing this kind of decision.  It seems very unlikely that the Senate minority leader would have done better.