A Double Loss -- An Air Force Base and a Political Spokesman

Here is the sad case of how President Bush's advisors did him no good -- the strange case of Senator John Thune (R-SD) and the (all-but-certain) impending closure of Ellsworth AFB, SD. (Hat tip: realclearpolitics.)

The story is a bit complicated, but Novak tells it well. However, here is the salient fact: President Bush did not lift a finger to help out Senator Thune by trying to save Ellsworth AFB -- the state's ONLY active duty military installation.

In the process, President Bush has turned a potentially stalwart political ally into an alienated potential opponent.

I wonder what Bush and Rove were doing that made them so dead to Thune's situation -- working late at night trying to keep liberals like Specter and Chafee in office?