Senator’s One-Man Air Force Blockade

WASHINGTON -- One senator in a snit, it seems, can tie up a whole branch of the military.

Just ask the Air Force, which is engaged in a dispute with Sen. Larry E. Craig (R-Idaho) over the basing of planes at an Air National Guard field in Boise.

In a stark demonstration of the power a single senator holds in a chamber that prizes minority rights, Craig is blocking the promotions of at least 212 Air Force officers in an attempt to get his way.

Craig said he wants the service to honor what he contends was a commitment to send four additional C-130 military transport planes to Gowen Field. Four are already based there. The additional planes could make Gowen less vulnerable during base closings expected in 2005, officials said.

The Pentagon disputes that there was any such deal and is resisting Craig’s demand in order to deter similar threats from other senators demanding home-state favors.

“Facing a brick wall, I placed a hold on Air Force Officer promotions, as other Senators have done in the past, to get the Air Force’s attention and to send the message to its leadership that this commitment must be met and that I expect them to keep their word,” Craig said in a statement Monday.

The officers in limbo range from captains to generals, an Air Force official said, and include the newly named superintendent of the scandal-shaken Air Force Academy. Hundreds of other promotions within the service could also be delayed.

Air Force Secretary James G. Roche has not commented publicly. A senior Air Force official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Monday he was hopeful that the dispute could be resolved. Reports of Craig’s action surfaced last week.

Craig’s spokesman, Will Hart, said the senator began his blockade about two weeks ago, after several meetings over 18 months failed to resolve the matter.

How long Craig, ordinarily a Bush administration ally, can sustain his position is unclear. The Senate typically requires unanimous consent to take up confirmation of military officers and other executive nominees. That custom is what gives Craig his leverage, known in the Senate as a “hold.”

But if the Republican leadership of the Senate seeks to go around Craig with a vote on a motion to proceed, it is uncertain whether he could thwart any action.

The maneuvering between Craig and other senators has been largely behind the scenes and has not played out publicly on the Senate floor.

The move comes at a time when Republicans have complained about Democrats’ use of filibusters against Bush’s judicial nominees. Democrats have retorted that Republicans frequently mounted solo delaying actions to stop President Clinton’s judicial nominations.

The Senate Rules Committee is expected to hold a hearing this month on the custom of allowing individual senators to block nominees.