LaHood disses Bush Administration

I can’t believe I missed this quote on the day it appeared in USA Today:

A Defense Department plan to close hundreds of facilities that it says are obsolete has infuriated prominent Republican lawmakers at a time when their support for President Bush’s Iraq strategy could be more critical than ever.

“I think they are going to have trouble with some of us,” says Rep. Ray LaHood, a veteran Illinois Republican fighting to save a National Guard base. A protégé of House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., LaHood called the base closing process being finalized this week “as bush league as I have ever seen.”

The president and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld “should have paid a lot more attention to those of us who supported them in Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said.

Of course, this quote will play well in Peoria because it sounds like LaHood is standing up for Illinois military facilities and local jobs.

If course the process is completely political! How could it be anything else, when politicians sign the paychecks? Even if the only people who make the decisions were guys in uniform, the process would be political, because generals like Reopublicans more than Democrats.

LaHood’s comments were political, because he’s pandering to voters. He doesn’t care one whit whether the base closings make America stronger or not. All he wants are jobs for his district, which includes the Springfield area.

Hat tip to The So-Called “Austin Mayor”

>tags>base closings,Ray LaHood,bush league,austin mayor,USA Today,springfield,peoria