Taft should use Ohio's clout to influence Bush's thinking

Gov. Bob Taft was in Washington on Monday to make the case with Defense Department officials for not only keeping Ohio's military installations off the 2005 closing list, but for expanding the federal government's presence in the state. At the governor's side was Mahoning Valley Congressman Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th.
That should reassure area residents who, with some justification, believe that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township will get the short end of the stick if state government has a say as to which bases should remain open. That belief is based on what has occurred in the past when the Valley has competed for state dollars or other assistance from Columbus.
However, there is nothing to suggest that the governor or anyone else in his administration is less committed to the preservation of the Youngstown station than any of the other seven identified Defense Department facilities in Ohio. Indeed, the governor has said his goal is to not only keep what the state has, but to make it a hub of defense-related support operations and research and development activities.
While the governor's meeting with top Defense Department officials was timely and encouraging, Rep. Ryan's participation warrants more than a cursory mention. His being a member of the House Armed Services Committee puts him in an ideal position to monitor the base closing process. It also affords him the opportunity to persuade decision-makers in the Bush administration and members of Congress that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station is a sound investment of federal dollars and that its mission and its cost-effectiveness justify its continued existence.
Valley's interests
Ryan is to be commended for not only protecting the interests of the Mahoning Valley in Washington, but for joining local government and community leaders in developing strategies for keeping the reserve base intact.
Taft has also taken an aggressive stand on behalf of Ohio's military installations, but we believe that as the Republican governor of what most political experts agree will be the battleground state in this year's presidential sweepstakes, he should try to persuade President Bush to delay the base closings.
The House of Representatives has voted for a two-year extension, but the Senate has refused to go along, mainly because the president has threatened to veto any legislation that delays the 2005 closing plan. A House-Senate conference committee will have to find a compromise. Republicans control both chambers.
Republicans in Congress who are pushing for a delay argue that it is not the right time to close military bases when the country is at war. The military is already stretched thin with the presence of American troops in Iraq, the search for Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of global terrorism, and the Bush administration's desire to replace dictatorial regimes around the world with democratically elected governments.
But even if Congress succumbs to the president's veto threat and decides against delaying the base closing process, we are confident that the Youngstown Air Reserve Station will pass muster.
Study
That confidence was bolstered recently by the findings of The Spectrum Group, a Washington, D.C., consulting firm hired by Save Our Airbase Reservists (SOAR), a community-based group and the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber.
The bottom line of Spectrum's study: The Youngstown station's infrastructure is "about the best" the consultants have seen, and the availability of room for expansion is a key selling point.
But more needs to be done, especially with on-base lodging. There are now 76 rooms, and 338 more are needed.
As Ryan noted after the release of the Spectrum study, "The Valley has to give our air base the support it needs -- financially and politically -- to get this done."