There's a intestingly similar thread going on in the members only section of the NATCA (national air traffic controllers association) website. Someone there made a great point, most of these military areas (that the President has miraculously made availalble) are generally closed or cold during the holidays anyway! So, this wasn't a huge concession.....just a political ploy. When it doesn't work out the delay issue, the politicans and FAA will simply blame it on the controller workforce. Not their fault, but they will be made out to be the scapgoat here after the fact.
This is also a stolen nugget, but anther person mentioned that this solution is like saying that there are not enough cashiers to eliminate the long lines at Walmart, so their fix would be to open the handicapped parking in order to get more people in the store. It doesn't fix the real issue. I thought that was a great analogy.
So, over this holiday when the controllers are doing thier darndest to get you where you need to be, remember this, and please be a bit more patient and supportive. This is a team effort, whether everyone wants to belive it or not, it simply is. And once we all start helping each other - things will be a whole lot more efficeint and pleasant.
BTW, Happy holdays to everyone here!!