Senators Demand Documents on Base Closing

The Senate Republicans are turning out to be the real opposition to the Bush administration, with some help from Democrats in the upper body. This week-end, Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who happens to be chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released a statement, also signed by the ranking Democrat on the committee, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, saying she was going to subpoena documents related to base closings in New England. This is just how the founding fathers wanted it to work.

There is a sad misunderstanding about the fundamental workings of the American government that only a close study of the Federalist Papers can remedy. The truth is that the America system of government is designed to prevent government action unless there is an overwhelming consensus that action is needed. Power is not centralized nor is it decentralized. It is deliberately divided among the three branches of government, among the states and the federal authorities and between the two houses of congress. There are vetoes and over-rides of vetoes, and there are amendment procedures and judicial review. In short, everyone has a little power to ensure that no one has a lot of power.

In a different sort of structure, the secretary of defense would simply offer a bill to congress closing this base and that base, the legislature would back it (since the government would automatically have a majority), and the president would sign it. The bases would close, people would be thrown out of work, and military families would be on the move again.

American situation, that won’t happen. Congress has had to create a commission to draw up a list of bases to close, and then the legislators vote up or down on the whole list. The reason is simple; they can get done what needs doing while providing themselves cover at re-election time. But, simultaneously, that gives each senator and congressperson a chance to stop the military dead in its tracks by keeping favored places off the list entirely.

Senators Collins and Lieberman are demanding that Secretary of Defense Field Marshall von Rumsfeld give over e-mails, memos, handwritten notes and telephone logs to prove there was something fishy about the “excessive” number of base closings in their region of the country. If he refuses, they will tie the bill up in committee. If he complies, they will hold hearing to embarrass the military into keeping various bases open.

The senators statement said, “Despite repeated requests from members of Congress, the department has thus far failed to make available to Congress this critical information.” Defense can’t stonewall the senate indefinitely. The senate passes budgets along with the house. And thus, when the GOP holds both houses of the legislature, the White House and about 60% of the judicial appointments, there is still an effective check on power. The men of ’76 were, indeed, geniuses.



© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.
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