My Answer: No!

Someone who prefers to go nameless sent e-mail today asking if I thought it was purely coincidence that the one part of the country that went against Bush in a big way last November also happens to be the part of the country that is losing the most bases.

No. The Northeast has been punished in many ways, and this is just another example. Texas, Maryland, and a few other states actually INCREASE bases/base positions even though Texas loses one base (yet it's one of the largest states with many bases). Saxby Chambliss - a true bit of stagnant pond scum - was crowing at how well Georgia did in it (not that Saxby has ever gotten too close to anything dirty like a base - and he debased a true military hero, Max Cleland, to get his spot.

Keith Olbermann just showed a map of base closures against the red/blue maps from November. Almost identical.

But one note that seemed silly to me: NBC and several networks showed the mayor of Portsmouth Maine who said this shipyard worker came into her office with his (pregnant?) wife and his SIX kids and asked what she planned to do about it. What job did you ever get to keep because you pleaded that one? Few of us lose jobs unscathed. I've only been let go once in my life, but it was very sad. Crying about it did no good. Perhaps some of us could take up a collection for this worker, however, for contraception. Most today would not feel able to afford a family of so many children. And I have little doubt this man voted for Mr. Bush. You get what you vote for, and this administration - with so many cronies left over from Reagan/Bush I - has closed bases before, again, largely on political boundaries.

Look at the closure list again and you'll also see that reservist/Guard training posts are WAY down in this new plan.

I suspect Rummy and Company will be pushing military privatization (aka, hiring mercenaries) soon enough.