Rebuilding Vieques

President Bush demonstrated admirable humanitarian inclinations and considerable political instincts by declaring the end of bombing exercises on Vieques in 2003. The president is absolutely correct that the 9,500 Americans on this tiny Puerto Rican island have shouldered far more than their fair share of the burden of citizenship for more than 60 years; as the 2002 election cycle commences, the strong appeal this bold position has for all Hispanic voters gives Democrats one more reason to worry about the man they have in the past so disastrously underestimated.

But, as is so often the case in Washington, Mr. Bush’s worst enemies here are his supposed allies. The furious reaction the announcement got from some top brass in the Pentagon and many Republicans on Capitol Hill – venomous expressions of outrage and betrayal, distraught fretting about troops going into combat unprepared – threaten to undo all the good the president has done. It is highly likely that Utah Rep. James Hansen’s nationally broadcast description of Puerto Ricans as welfare-addicted tax cheats will be remembered long after Mr. Bush’s description of them as friends, neighbors and fellow citizens is forgotten.

But the point underlying the president’s announcement is that the Navy essentially has taken advantage of the people of Vieques. This live-ordinance target range was started during World War II and its use grew during the Cold War. Those emergencies have long passed, but the bombing and shelling that would be tolerated nowhere else in the country continue.

The Navy says Vieques is the only place the Atlantic Fleet can practice amphibious landings with live-ordinance air support and naval gunfire. That is true only because the Navy has never been compelled to find another place, If the Navy’s Pacific fleet can find uninhabited islands off the coast of California and numerous cruise lines can find uninhabited islands to entertain their guests, the Navy can find an alternative to Vieques. The death two years ago of a Viequean man from an errant bomb was the spark needed to ignite the years of resentment that had been building from a policy with such a strong odor of racism.

A persistent issue for more than a decade has been that Vieques is subject to all the downsides of being host to a military training facility – noise, danger and the like – but enjoys none of the benefits. The base offers virtually no civilian employment; because the troops are based on the ships or on the main island of Puerto Rico, there are no opportunities for the locals to develop the restaurants, nightclubs and other businesses that usually spring up around military facilities. Not surprisingly, the roar of low-flying jets and the ground-shaking explosions have hampered tourism.

Faced with mounting protests following the death of David Rodriguez, the Navy tried to buy the islanders off with a $40-million package of economic development. After years failing to deliver on promises of improving the island, it is no wonder the shell-shocked slanders are skeptical.

In his announcement, the president expressed confidence that the Navy “will find another place to practice, and to be prepared to keep the peace.” The brass in the Pentagon should accept that challenge from their commander in chief and meet it. Republicans on the Hill should see to it that the Pentagon has the means to do so. Both groups could at least acknowledge, as Mr. Bush has, that, when it comes to sacrificing for the national good, the people of Vieques have done their duty.