Posted on 06/24/2003 10:41:57 AM PDT by chance33_98
Idaho's Craig Reports Progress, Releases All Air Force Promotions
By Scott Logan
BOISE - No new C-130 aircraft are immediately headed to Gowen Field but Sen. Larry Craig thinks his well publicized blockade of Air Force promotions succeeded.
"What is most important is that we've taken the issue of four aircraft at Gowen Field all the way to the White House now," said the Idaho Republican. "And it's being discussed in the Pentagon. There's only one way to resolve this, and that's with the delivery of the aircraft."
Craig will meet Tuesday with White House officials and Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz to talk about the impasse between Craig and the United States Air Force. Craig maintains the Air Force promised a complete squadron of eight C-130s to the Idaho Air Guard at Gowen Field seven years ago. Only four have been delivered.
If the upcoming discussions fail to produce the four C-130s Craig says are promised by the Air Force, Idaho's senior senator says he'll do what is necessary to get them.
The debate comes as the understrength, aging squadron of four C-130s at Gowen Field has dwindled to just two.
"Of our four C-130s, which were built in 1962, the E model, two of them are currently grounded from wing corrosion issues," said Lt. Col. Tim Marsano. "And there's a really good possibility they'll be permanently grounded in the near future."
Craig wants the Air Force to give the Idaho Air Guard four modern C-130s, designated the C-130-J.
And political observers say Craig's defiance comes when the Bush Administration may have been taking Idaho -- overwhelmingly Republican and with just four electoral votes -- for granted.
"So if you want to placate citizens of a state and their congressionals in a close electoral vote state, you don't look at Idaho do you?" said John Freemuth, a Boise State political science professor. "You look at other states that you narrowly won, not that you won handily."
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