OK, so it's a rationalization…

…but it's my rationalization, so it makes perfect sense to me. Anyway, I'm pretty much resolved to swallow the CAFTA votes of Senators Cantwell and Murray and Rep. Dicks as symptoms of their parochial interest in preserving port jobs and associated economic development in the upper left.

Of course, if I'm wrong, I'd lean toward the more ominous rumblings over at CoolAqua. First, a summary of the dramatic security threat that the current BRAC recommendations have for the northwest (all emphasis in the original)...

To put this in perspective, the area protected by the 147th Fighter Wing is as big as continental Europe. Notably, the USAF has 147 fighter aircraft in Europe. So as is, we only have 10% of the fighters that we have for an equal area in Europe. And if the BRAC Commission recommendations are followed, the number of fighter aircraft used to protect the Pacific Northwest will be about 1.5% of what we have to protect Europe.

FBI Special Agent Robert Jordan testified about how target rich the Pacific Northwest is. The Trojan Nuclear Power plant still has over 800 fuel rods still installed. Hanford Nuclear Reservation has 9 nuclear reactors, high grade plutonium, and countless thousands of gallons of highly radioactive materials. Smaller reactors are also found in more chimercial settings of other areas of the Northwest. In addition to nuclear materials, the Northwest is also a repository of a large number of chemical weapons. And biological facilities with lethal strains of biological materials abound. There are 48 large dams alone in Oregon, and chemical facilities are plentiful. Headquarters of Microsoft, and production facilities of Boeing are located in Washington; industries critical to maintaining a balance of trade; likewise, Oregon's "Silicon Forest" also contains a large number of important high tech facilities.

…and then exploring some apparent irregularities in the BRAC process, including a shocking failure to calculate homeland security needs in the closure equation. The CoolAqua conclusion?

Putting this all together, I can't help but recognize the real possibility that the Bush Administration is attempting to extort NW politicians to fall into line and support his policies. The BRAC Plan militarily is an invitation to our enemies to attack us here in the Northwest. And financially, this plan is only "pork" to southern states at a substantial cost increase to the US Taxpayer.

There's a part of me that wants to think that even Bushco™ wouldn't sink to deliberately placing millions of American lives (including, for instance, mine) at deliberate risk just to, say, secure a "bi-partisan" vote on a trade agreement.

Problem is, the part of me that would like to think that doesn't really believe it...