Those Base-Closing Blues

First, the good news: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week recommended closing far fewer military bases than had been expected. (Despite initial estimates of a military bloated by 20% to 25% in excess capacity, the Pentagon, after factoring in the need to accommodate 70,000 soldiers returning from overseas, determined that only 5% to 10% needs trimming.) But the bad news depends, now more than ever, on where the bases are located. Rumsfeld proposed closing 33 of the Pentagon's 318 major military bases, along with shuttering or realigning 775 smaller facilities, to save nearly $49 billion over the next 20 years. But...