John Thune Dodges a Bullet

South Dakota Senator John Thune must be breathing a big sigh of relief this afternoon:

The base-closing commission voted Friday to keep open Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota -- rejecting the Pentagon's plan to close it -- as the panel labored toward conclusion of a politically delicate task that has brought alternating sighs of relief and exasperation in communities across America.

The surprise decision was a setback for Pentagon leaders, a blessing for South Dakotans who feared losing about 4,000 jobs, and a victory for Sen. John Thune and the state's other politicians who lobbied vigorously to save the base. Sen. Thune, a freshman Republican, unseated then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle partly on the strength of his claim he could help save the base.

All those lefties who were predicting Thune's demise will have to wait for another day.