[Behind Liberal Lines]

The Bush team encouraged and supported Thune's campaign. Thune campaigned on keeping that base open. If the White House was not going to support keeping the base open they should have told him not to campaign on that issue. Their failure to do so was, to be kind, disingenuous.

[Echo Talon]

guess he didn't make a strong enough case, or transformation is more important than keep that base.

[Miss Marple]

The base closure commission is set up so that the commission makes recommendations without interference by political people from either side. It is up to the Senators and Representatives, after the recommendations are made, to argue different opinions and make a case for keeping a site open.

In Indiana, we were to lose Crane Naval Ammunition Depot, despite Mitch Daniels being elected governor. We made the case and it was kept open. South Dakota did the same.