09-06-2003 15:30									#1
	Are you from Idaho? Are you ashamed yet? Get a bigger avatar today!

I must confess, my first response was "please don't let him be a Democrat..."

quote: Senator Blocks 850 Air Force Promotions By ERIC SCHMITT WASHINGTON, June 8 — Senator Larry E. Craig of Idaho is blocking the promotions of more than 850 Air Force officers, including young pilots who fought in Iraq and the general nominated to bail out the scandal-plagued United States Air Force Academy, in a rare clash between the Pentagon and a senior Republican lawmaker. Mr. Craig's price to free the frozen promotions now awaiting final Senate approval? Four C-130 cargo planes for the Idaho Air National Guard. Pentagon officials express outrage that for more than a month Mr. Craig has single-handedly delayed the careers of hundreds of officers and stymied important Air Force business for a handful of parochial planes. They are vowing not to give in to his pressure. Calling the move blackmail, one senior military official said, "If we say yes to this, Katie bar the door." The official, like others contacted for this article, spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing retribution from the senator. But Mr. Craig contends that the Air Force has reneged on a promise made seven years ago to station a squadron of eight C-130's at Gowen Field, an Air National Guard base in Boise, his spokesman said. There are now four C-130's and another training aircraft based there. "This is a problem created by the Air Force that can be easily solved by the Air Force," Will Hart, the spokesman, said. In the courtly world of the Senate, Mr. Craig's hardball tactics have angered and frustrated even some of his Republican colleagues, including Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, who is chairman of the Armed Services Committee and has tried to mediate the dispute. The committee approved most of the promotions weeks ago. Mr. Warner declined through a spokesman to comment. Under a Senate practice intended to encourage consensus, any senator can block action indefinitely and anonymously on a nomination, promotion or legislation. These secret holds are used frequently by senators of both parties to express displeasure not necessarily with a nominee but with an administration's action or policy. But military promotions are typically whisked through the approval process without objection. A former military official disclosed the dispute over the planes to The New York Times. Four years ago, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, then the majority leader, blocked the final confirmation of Richard C. Holbrooke to be chief diplomat to the United Nations. Mr. Lott's demand? That President Bill Clinton appoint a conservative Ohio law school professor to the Federal Election Commission. But in recent years, the anonymous holds have proliferated to the point where some senators are pushing for new guidelines to identify any senator who delays a nomination or promotion. The Senate Rules Committee, now led by Mr. Lott, has scheduled a hearing on the issue for June 17. Mr. Craig's action has been felt throughout the Air Force, from young captains and majors to its senior ranks, where the promotions or new-job nominations for more than two dozen generals are in a holding pattern with no end in sight. Gen. Robert H. Foglesong, who has been picked to be commander of all American air forces in Europe, is cooling his heels in Washington in his current job as vice chief of staff of the Air Force. Lt. Gen. T. Michael Moseley, who commanded allied air forces in the Iraq war, is waiting to receive his fourth star and succeed General Foglesong as the vice chief of staff. Maj. Gen. John W. Rosa Jr. was tapped to pin on a third star and be in place as the new superintendent of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs by last month. But his assignment is still in limbo. Brig. Gen. John A. Weida, the academy's commandant, is filling the position until General Rosa's promotion is approved. Military officials say to give in to Mr. Craig now would only invite more holds from other senators. "We obviously can't operate like that," another senior military official said. "Idaho is a great state, but we can't put more planes in there without taking them out of somewhere else." Why after seven years Mr. Craig is exercising his Senate prerogative now to delay these promotions is a bit of a mystery. The planes have not been a pressing concern for most of his constituents. "It's not something people here are tapping their fingers over, waiting for them to show up," said Lt. Col. Tim Marsano, spokesman for the Idaho National Guard. Mr. Hart would say only that "Senator Craig's record of overwhelming support for the military speaks for itself" and blamed the Air Force leadership for disclosing his hold "as some sort of strategy to renege on promises made to Senator Craig." A buildup of the guard forces could help shield Gowen Field from a new round of military base closings scheduled to be decided in 2005. Increasing the number of C-130's at the field could make it a less attractive installation to close, defense officials said. Gowen's C-130's returned in January from a tour in Oman, where they supported operations in Afghanistan and the Persian Gulf. Several states are organizing committees to defend their military bases, which provide jobs and lucrative Pentagon contracts to local communities. "What a lot of people are trying to do is extort such-and-such a service at such-and-such a base to BRAC-proof their base," one senior defense official said, using the acronym for the Base Realignment and Closure Commission, which would recommend such closings. As for Mr. Craig, defense officials say their arguments have so far fallen on deaf ears. "We've tried to explain the facts of life to Senator Craig that the Air Force is getting smaller, not bigger," one official said. Gen. John W. Handy of the Air Force, the head of United States Transportation Command, which controls all transport aircraft, met with Mr. Craig in Washington on May 23 to broker an end to the stalemate, but apparently to no avail. Said one defense official, "Craig is essentially saying, pound sand."

Congressman are venal greedheads by nature, but this is the most appalling thing I've seen in a while.

Here's the link , but it's the New York Times so it requires registration.

	09-06-2003 15:42									#2
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man, is his opponent going to have a field day with this one, come next election (if the political climate is the same... if it isn't, he'll have a good day, instead.)

	09-06-2003 16:50									#3
	Put an end to popups!

Another reason to get rid of the politicians....

	09-06-2003 17:40									#4
	Remove this text

youd think this was something that would happen in california...

frankychan, replace them with lazy hawaii overlords?

	09-06-2003 18:31									#5
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

I was going to say good on him for standing up to the Government at large for a promise made, but when I read that Idahoners (what the hell DO you call someone from Idaho?) didn't care all that much, that's where it just seems silly.

What are all these stories of Senators doing weird things like this? Often they are doddery ancient things too. Is it like the House of Lords, where, once you're in you're in until they notice the smell and come to mothball you? At least there the senile ones don't make any difference.

At least we know the soldiers will get their promotions in the end - there is no chance it would go down any other way.

	09-06-2003 20:48									#6
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Well, at least he's being very open and honest about being a blackmailing scumbag!

	09-06-2003 20:54									#7
	Increase Your PM Length

I don't think the internet has reached Idaho yet...

	09-06-2003 20:59									#8
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

"Trent Lott of Mississippi ...blocked the final confirmation ....Mr. Lott's demand? That President Bill Clinton appoint a conservative ....to the Federal Election Commission.

But in recent years, the anonymous holds have proliferated to the point where some senators are pushing for new guidelines to identify any senator who delays a nomination or promotion.


The Senate Rules Committee, now led by Mr. Lott,"


Yeah, I guess this was like fighting fire with fire idea?

Use a horsetrader to reform horsetrading?

I think it's his shamelessness they have a problem with. He can do it, they all do it, but he needs to pretend it's a real scandal and act ashamed dammit!

	09-06-2003 23:15									#9
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This is actually a fairly common practice for general officer promotions. AFAIK, it's the first time that some asswipe Senator has hung up officer promotions in the ranks en masse.

If the Senate leadership had any balls, they could simply bounce Craig off the Armed Services Committee.

If the White House and Pentagon (Rummy-hood and the big bad Wolfowitz) had any balls, they could initiate the process to close down all US military facilities in Idaho and to transfer their personnel to other states.

Back in the cold war days, Senators didn't pull this sort of **** very often, and certainly not on a service-wide basis.

Craig needs to learn to play ball nicely, or get the bat shoved up his ass until it breaks.

	10-06-2003 02:45									#10
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quote: "Senator Craig's record of overwhelming support for the military speaks for itself"

It seems to be speaking loud and clear right now. Here's hoping that someone has the balls to do as MtG suggests.

	10-06-2003 03:04									#11
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I really can't see the outrage here and I usually jump at the chance to lambast Republicans. I find it hard to believe the author's statement that its not important to his constituents whithout any real analysis of his constituents in the article. If the planes would save some army bases from being closed in Idaho and this would have an ill effect on the economy there, he would seem to have every right.

	10-06-2003 05:34									#12
	Full PM-box? Change here!

This is just stupid. I hope whoever his oppenent is next fries him.

	10-06-2003 06:07									#13
	Get a bigger avatar today!

quote: Originally posted by gsmoove23 I really can't see the outrage here and I usually jump at the chance to lambast Republicans. I find it hard to believe the author's statement that its not important to his constituents whithout any real analysis of his constituents in the article. If the planes would save some army bases from being closed in Idaho and this would have an ill effect on the economy there, he would seem to have every right.

Four C-130's added to four already existing aren't going to make or break the Idaho economy, the Idaho Air National Guard, or anything else. The problem for the military is that if every asswipe wants a couple of toys for his district just because he can get a little extra pork money, the waste can be huge. With all the support crap that goes with the 130's, we're talking 80-90 million in money for something that is worse than useless, because it contributes nothing to the USAF's capability, while taking taxpayer money from other programs already approved.

A percentage of those officers who's promotions are hung up may well decide to quit, and meanwhile, the jobs they're assigned to pending promotion are vacant. That's really useful for national defense.