Not happy with the rebuff of its attempt to rein in the Administration’s conduct of the Iraq war via the war supplemental funding bill, the Senate now appears poised to try again with the 2008 defense authorization bill. The full Senate takes up the measure today. News reports say that first up will be a vote on an amendment from Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) that would impose a minimum amount of time that service members would get at home between deployments to Iraq. Webb teamed with Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius late last month calling for “more sustainable deployment lengths and adequate dwell time between deployments.” They cited rotation burnout, mental stress, and family problems, all leading to poor retention for ground forces.
The "Air Force One" replacement will be two to three years late due to pandemic issues, testing, and the loss of a subcontractor on the interior, USAF officials reported at a House Armed Services Committee hearing. They were also warned that some HASC members will insist on a competition for…