81.   Viccellio disagreed that any of the remaining Air Force depots should be put on the table as the Pentagon readies for additional base closures.

82.   When offering the base closure bill last week, the senator referred to those warnings.

83.   Whidbey had been considered vulnerable in past base closure proceedings.

84.   With Congress balking at base closures, any consolidations will become highly political unless some sort of system of checks and balances is installed, the consultants said.

85.   Rebels had accused the government of announcing the base closure without complying.

86.   Cheney said he would not support more base closures, a concern in Mississippi, where pilots train in Columbus and Meridian.

87.   Col. John Ibbotson, head of operations and plans for training and recruitment, said the base closures had created a temporary bottleneck.

88.   His unit had been working on a base camp closure.

89.   On Wednesday, Cohen told Congress that the Pentagon needs authority to conduct two more rounds of base closures.

90.   Rumsfeld said he was encouraged that the Senate Armed Services Committee on Friday voted for a new round of base closures.