Featured Articles
Ellsworth A.F.B. Off BRAC Death RowParty of No Policy IIWith the decision this morning by an 8-1 vote, South dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base was removed from the list of recommended closures by the BRAC Commissioners.
Some coverage on the facts of the decision in the Rapid City Journal...
Ellsworth savedLike the phoenix from the ashes, the status of Ellsworth Air Force base rose from expendable to essential in a matter of seconds when the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission, or BRAC, voted Friday to save the base.South Dakota's top lawmakers and the head of the Ellsworth Task Force were at the edge of their seats in the suburban Washington, D.C., hearing room when BRAC commissioner Samuel Skinner made a motion to reject the Pentagon's recommendation to close Ellsworth and move its 29 B-1B Lancer bombers to Dyess Air Force Base.Looking for at least five commissioners to raise their hands in support of Skinner's motion, the South Dakotans instead saw all but one of the nine-member panel vote to save Ellsworth....and in the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:
ELLSWORTH SPAREDEllsworth Air Force Base was taken off the Pentagon?s recommended list of closures this morning, a decision that sent jubilant Rapid City residents leaping to their feet as they watched the proceedings on live TV.The nine-member independent commission voted 8 to 1 to reject the Pentagon?s recommendation to close the base as part of the Defense Department?s plan to restructure the military.Meanwhile, some of the politics of the situation which provide a boost to Sen. Thune's position were not lost on others:
Base Closing Choices Impact Politics
When the Pentagon announced that it wanted to shut down Ellsworth Air Force Base, it was an enormous setback for Sen. John Thune. The Republican got elected in part by repeatedly telling voters he could save the base because of his close ties to President Bush.Thune responded to the Ellsworth news by going on the offensive: He and fellow South Dakota leaders from both parties launched an intense lobbying effort. He also stopped fund-raising for the Republican Party and opposed the Bush administration on a few important Senate votes.On Friday, Thune's political future got a big boost when a federal commission decided to save Ellsworth, home to B-1B bombers and a major player in the Cold War. He and other South Dakota politicians hailed the decision as the result of an extraordinary bipartisan campaign that convinced the commission that the military and nation need Ellsworth.All in all, a very good day for South Dakota!
This piece by David Ignatius supports the argument in my last post.This should be the Democrats' moment: The Bush administration is caught in an increasingly unpopular war; its plan to revamp Social Security is fading into oblivion; its deputy chief...Things Fall Apart
Regarding John Thune and Ellsworth I used a quarterback analogy. The quarterback gets too much blame when the team loses and too much credit when the team wins. I guess the same goes for presidents. Bush is getting more blame...You Could Drive A Prius From LA to NYC For, Like, $75
I agree with Glenn. Make 'em all fly commercial....The DLC's Quest For Sanity
Instapundit notes that the Anklebiters are rooting for the DLC in the coming Kos Kraziness Koundown, noting that they want a "stronger" opposition party. I'm rooting for them because I want a sane opposition party, which I guess is pretty...Ellsworth and Politics: Not Over Yet
Not Out of the Woods YetIn posts here, and here Sibby Online notes continued political gamesmanship by SD DDD Donks who STILL can't get over the loss of Their Boy Tom from the senate.
How wearisome! How predictable! How dumb!
Sibby, along with S.D.P. does a yeoman job of keeping track of all of the total nonsense from these Donks. The Chief is MOST appreciative they do such a good job with it, since it allows him to direct his attention to other issues.
New Orleans isn't out of the woods yet, but things are looking slightly better (or less disastrous), as Katrina is now "only" a Category 4 storm. (You know things are rough when you're optimistically saying that a hurricane is now...Sibby Writing About Hildebrand and Daschle
Sibby is noting how Steve Hildebrand, who is still be paid by Tom Daschle to attack Senator Thune, was enjoying how Ellsworth Air Force Base [was] biting John Thune in the butt:In my earlier post I showed how Tom Daschle...
A Message from tdaxp
Send feedback to danhabbott@gmail.com
What's New with the Blogs
Media bias and gunsNebraskans Helping Out, A Bleg
Bush personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation
Hurricane Katrina: Open Thread 15
A question of semantics
KANYE WEST: BUSH-BASHING FOR $$$
South Dakota Blogs
Bric-A-BRACAmazing Video
Political Gain & Self-Love: Huffington Post Staples
Now The Important News
Ellsworth Saved
Hildebrand Vows to Fight On
New York Times editors on Thune
Issuing Yet Another Challenge
Iraqi Constitution
New York Times on Thune
The Vegetarian Issue
Dog Catches Train
Gulf Coast Disaster Beyond Words
ZAP! You're Dead!
Thune in New York Times
Morrisey on Thune and Ellsworth
More Mindless Ideology
Levee Breaks
American Blogs
STATE OF ANARCHYAble Danger: Looks Like It's True
Aliens Have Invaded the Earth
KATRINA: GETTING THINGS DONE
Remarks By The First Lady
Hurricane Katrina: Open Thread 9
Bradblog: Don't Donate to Bush States
Los Angeles Terror Suspects Indicted
Pro-Freedom, Anti-Terror
The powerlessness at the bottom of the pyramid-seem familiar?The Next Hyundai North Korea Scandal
The Only Text at UNL So Far Worth Anything
President tdaxp at the Nebraska State Fair
Next time you curse high gas prices, think of what...
The Death of an Alliance, Part 23: S. Korean Human Rights Comm'n Calls MacArthur "a war criminal who massacred numerous civilians."
On Killing Chavez
Won-Joon Choe on the Korean Bomb
South Dakota Blog Alliance
RadioActive Chief, Ryen McClaren, Sibby Online, South Dakota Politics, Straight Talk
tdaxp Blog Network
Jim River Report, tdaxp, Bloglines, Cobuyitaphobia, Junk Politics
Breaking News
The Mount a la mode?Local relief entities ready, await orders
Relief Arrives in New Orleans
Bush Comforts Katrina Survivors Amid Criticism
Katrina Should Raise Tough Questions for Administration
South Dakota Mainstream Media
Record turnout at fairAberdeen Regional in holding pattern
The fix is in
Fair tops charts
Hurricane Katrina leaves economic waves in wake;
My god, man, have you gone mad?
Hurricane Katrina touches lives of people in parts of Dakota Midland
So, the run for governor is out? In?
American Mainstream Media
Democrats Can't Take Labor Vote for GrantedDrunk With Power, Spending Like Drunken Sailors
U.N. Offers Hurricane Disaster Assistance
Rice: All Foreign Aid Offers Will Be Accepted
Roberts Can Expect Difficult Confirmation Process
Hastert Questions Rebuilding New Orleans
Officials: Draining New Orleans Will Take Weeks
U.S. Indicts Russian U.N. Official
British Mainstream Media
Post-Holiday Blair Targets Bad ParentsBeckham: 'Show Sven Some Respect'
London Bomber 'Twisted And Brainwashed'
Saddam Gets Date For Iraq Crimes Trial
Everyone Else
Summerset, South Dakota24 - Hour Fall Special
Bank Robber or Retailing?
An Orange-Haired Girl in Mitchell
Jim River Report Archives
Browse archives for...This page is permalinked
How Popular is the Jim River Report?