Note: This is an article that was written before I went on vacation that my good friend Jon Heckman graciously offered to post for me. I will return to normal posting on June 29.
This soap opera just won’t end! The Air Force is reconsidering its tanker bid, even though it had previously awarded the contract to Northrop Grumman’s plan based on the A330. Basically, the Government Accountability Office says the decision was not made by the correct standards. Now maybe it really didn’t follow its own standards and this is legitimate. I may just like conspiracy theories, but let me speculate for a bit. Take a look at some of the comments from members of the House and Senate on this issue:
I am sure that many of my colleagues here believe that there is absolutely no other choice then for the Air Force to re-bid this contract. So we are going to play a larger oversight role to make sure the Air Force actually does their job.
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington)
“What we have been saying for a number of weeks now that this competition has brought forth a wrong decision, has been validated by the GAO in a very, very strong way and that is good news for American workers it’s good news for our national security and it’s good news for our economy. And we feel very good about this decision.”
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington)
“Thanks be to God and the GAO on this one. This is a huge victory for us.”
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas)
“If the Air Force doesn’t get it right, I am going to reserve all my options as a member of the Appropriations Committee to offer amendments and do anything I can to stop this thing from going forward.”
Rep. Norm Dicks (D-Washington)
(Quotes from the previously linked to CNN article and this news story).
Quotes like these make me feel like this move is simply a way to help Boeing. Heck, Norm Dick’s comment makes it seem like the only proper choice is Boeing. And they seem to forget the amount of jobs that will be created in Alabama due to the current Northrop bid.
Apparently these legislators have never gotten the memo about globalization: it works both ways. Boeing cannot provide military aircraft for other countries and then whine and moan when a competitor does the same to them.
To put it bluntly, the government is simply continuing its protectionist policies in the name of protecting established American jobs, even if new ones are created. In my opinion, policies like these encourage a sense of entitlement, as it makes American companies feel that no matter what kind of product they produce, even if it inferior to a foreign competitor, it will be purchased by the government.
Annoying.
Can’t help but agree with you on this one. Sounds like the Washington politicians are getting a lot of pressure from the Boeing lobby. As someone who prefers Boeing passenger jets to the Airbus variety and someone who would admitedly like to see the “hometown” team win, I admit that this political exercise sounds xenophobic.