11.   President Clinton should resist the temptation to intervene in the politically painful business of closing unneeded military bases.

12.   President Bill Clinton could approve recommendations from a special commission responsible for closing military bases as early as Tuesday, Pentagon and White House officials said.

13.   Senior administration aides denied playing politics with a process that has remained largely apolitical through three earlier rounds of decisions on closing bases.

14.   Still, there is some support for closing bases as a way of freeing up money for other military purposes.

15.   The commission took politics, for the most part, out of the process of closing military bases.

16.   The issue of closing bases has long been viewed on Capitol Hill as a pill too bitter to swallow.

17.   The Pentagon says the money saved by closing unneeded bases is a major source of funds for new weapons.

18.   The president, meanwhile, blasted the commission for not taking into account the economic impact of closing bases in California and Texas.

19.   Perry said he told the service chiefs to consider the high cost of closing bases in making new recommendations.

20.   Many politicians oppose closing bases because it can hurt local economies.