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Home Front: Politix
WH Threatens To Close Offutt AB Unless Ben Nelson Votes For Obamacare
2009-12-16
According to a Senate aide, the White House is now threatening to put NebraskaÂ’s Offutt Air Force Base on the BRAC list if Nelson doesnÂ’t fall into line.

Offutt Air Force Base employs some 10,000 military and federal employees in Southeastern Nebraska. As our source put it, this is a “naked effort by Rahm Emanuel and the White House to extort Nelson’s vote.” They are “threatening to close a base vital to national security for what?” asked the Senate staffer.

Indeed, Offutt is the headquarters for US Strategic Command, the successor to Strategic Air Command, and not by accident.

STRATCOM was located in the middle of the country for strategic reasons. Its closure would be a massive blow to the economy of the state of Nebraska, but it would also be another example of this administration playing politics with our national security.
And Groton Naval Base unless Lieberman plays along as well. Trouble is, some senators get stubborn when threatened.
Posted by: Anonymoose

#6  most important base in CONUS (for the time being), and Zero knows it.

Which just means he has multiple reasons to close it, not just a Nelson vote.
Posted by: Glenmore   2009-12-16 19:16  

#5  Let's not forget BO and Rahm Emanuel's Alinsky's community organizer politics in 2010 at the polls. These kind of politics do not serve America well.
Posted by: JohnQC   2009-12-16 16:56  

#4  Much kerfuffle....

OAFB/STRATCOM is arguably the most important base in CONUS (for the time being), and Zero knows it.

Nelson, IMHO, will call Emanuel's bluff and go his own way.

The "Chicago Way" tactic, however, will be remembered and come back and bite Obama, etal, in a big way....
Posted by: Uncle Phester   2009-12-16 09:08  

#3  As I said yesterday, Offutt is vital to our national security. Just closing it because of political reasons is pretty much treason.

If anyone saw the special on how we took out the satellite with a anti-missile shot from a ship, the main HQ and tracking center was in Offutt.

Obama has once again proved that he puts his own agenda above the country's security.
Posted by: DarthVader   2009-12-16 07:03  

#2  Simply proving once again that Base Realignment and Closing (BRAC) is a tool of politics and not of actual taxpayer cost savings.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-12-16 05:14  

#1  They are "threatening to close a base vital to national security for what?"

Probably wouldn't make a bit of difference, they're just pretending it does.
Posted by: gorb   2009-12-16 01:53  

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