Regarding the alleged threat to close Nebraska’s military bases if Nelson doesn’t play ball on health care rationing, John Noonan spells it out for this administration (and other uninformed Democrats):
Offutt Air Force Base is one of the nation’s most critical command and control nodes, second to only to the National Military Command Center in the Pentagon. The base’s hardened facilities, designed to withstand a nuclear blast, are so optimized to support leadership during a national emergency that Offutt’s underground command bunker was President Bush’s command center of choice during the 9/11 attacks. It also serves a direct link between President Obama and the nation’s nuclear forces, as Offutt houses the nation’s Primary Alerting System, satellite and radio transmitter/receivers used in nuclear command and control functions, and our fleet of airborne command centers, which are designed to ensure the continuation of civilian and military leadership after a national disaster or military attack.
Unfortunately, these days the national Democratic party simply doesn’t think in terms of natsec as being independent from domestic politics. It makes perfect sense for them to threaten a criticial military base with closure; from their point of view, the only reason that the base exists where it is and as it does is to generate regional jobs and industries. Surely the military can handle having the base’s particular functions upended on a moment’s notice and transferred somewhere else. Which, in fact, the military can. At some expense; and which cost I understand that military personnel typically resent, when it’s not done for good reason.
I suggest that passing a health care rationing bill is not a good reason.
is actually kind of refreshing.