THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 16, 1995 TAG: 9502160354
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 55 lines
Senators grilled six presidential nominees to a new military base-closing commission on Wednesday about possible conflicts between their private interests and their work on the powerful panel.
But a nomination that President Clinton declined to make, after aides had said he would, riled GOP lawmakers and threatened to derail the whole base-closing process.
``The question is: How much is this process being politicized?'' said Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona. He urged Clinton to explain quickly the administration's treatment of former Army Secretary Michael P.W. Stone, whose apparent selection was abruptly withdrawn last week.
Stone, now a San Francisco businessman, was on a list of nominees released by the White House this month. But the administration left him off last week's formal submission of its nominees to the Senate.
The commission is to begin work soon after March 1.
Stone was recommended for the 1995 commission by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the early front-runner for the GOP nomination to oppose Clinton in 1996. His unexplained removal ``gives people reasonable pause'' about Clinton's commitment to keep partisanship out of the process, McCain said.
Clinton accepted a second commissioner suggested by Dole, Wendi L. Steele of Houston.
McCain, who heads a Senate Armed Services subcommittee dealing with base closing issues, said he'll press for a floor vote next week on the six names Clinton did submit. But he warned that senators who oppose more base reductions could try to use the flap to stop the whole process.
As majority leader, Dole controls the flow of business in the Senate. The administration is expected to give him a chance to suggest an alternative to Stone before it makes a new nomination.
In Wednesday's hearing, senators in both parties seemed troubled by potential conflicts of interest for Steele and retired Air Force Gen. James B. Davis.
McCain urged Steele, a former aide to Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., to stay out of any commission deliberations on bases in Oklahoma. Though her work for Nickles included developing strategies to defend those bases, Steele said she could be fair in considering them.
Davis ran into sharp questioning over his work since retirement from the military for the Spectrum Group, a lobbying firm whose clients include several communities trying to head off base closures. He initially indicated plans to maintain his association with Spectrum but said he would stay out of any deliberations involving Spectrum clients. Later, he suggested he might sever ties with Spectrum to avoid any appearance of a conflict.
KEYWORDS: BASE CLOSURE AND REALIGNMENT COMMISSION by CNB