Cohen's Southern Strategy
Former Maine Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen is now employing the considerable lobbying skills he once used to keep Maine's military bases open to advocate for Florida's 21 bases. The Sun Journal has the story (registration or BugMeNot required).
Leaders in the efforts to save Maine's bases say they are unsure what effect the high-paid lobbyists, including Cohen, will have.
"We wish he were working with us," said Richard Tetrev, who leads the task force that is trying to preserve Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Why isn't he here?
"His price tag is very, very high," said retired Navy Capt. William McDonough, who is working on the effort to preserve Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. "We couldn't afford him."
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posted by @ 10:20 PM 
3 comments
3 Comments:
The PPH account in today's paper illustrates how vulnerable Kittery, BNAS, and BIW are to shifting political winds AND defense strategy.
There is only so longer you can keep fighting the cold war; or inventing new reasons to build more destroyers, fix more subs, and fly more missions out of BNAS.
Cohen is a paid flack for Florida; I wonder if he gets a condo out of it?
btw...I live in earshot of BNAS; and there is a lot of talk about decommissioning it and what it would look like.
In fact there is one study, and a few informal groups of entrepreneurs who are making plans to convert parts of the base to private use.
So what is the purpose of the obscene amounts of money we spend on defence? Is it all about welfare for white male mechanics or is it about political favoritism? It amazes me how Maine's politicians, esepecially the liberals, struggle to politically prop up the 19th and early 20th century economy.