The mainstream consensus among most in Washington is that Boeing was the victim of some shenanigans by the U.S. Air Force. In fact, it is hard to find anyone beyond the Alabama congressional delegation willing to stand up for the Air Force’s decision.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) even used the tanker award as political ammo against probable Republican nominee Sen. John McCain - who forced the Air Force to bid this enormous contract, instead of the convoluted plan which Boeing would lease the aircraft to the air force, resulting in criminal convictions of a Boeing executive and an Air Force procurement officer.
But for all his faults, Sen. Richard Shelby has been the one on the PR crusade, defending the air force and explaining why this is not a loss for the United States. There seems to be a void in the media of EADS/Northrop Grumman defenders and Shelby has stepped up to the plate.
After making several cable news TV appearances, Shelby had an op/ed published in today’s Financial Times:
“As members of Congress, we are concerned about US jobs. But any assertion that this award “outsources” jobs to France is simply false. With a new assembly site in Mobile, Alabama, this contract will bring tens of thousands of jobs into the US. According to the job-forecasting tool from the department of commerce, Northrop Grumman will employ about the same number of US workers on the tanker contract as Boeing would have. The Northrop Grumman tanker team will employ about 25,000 US workers at more than 230 supplier companies in 49 states,” Shelby wrote.
The Financial Times, a European-based financial publication, has been very friendly to EADS. Although that probably won’t many critics over who have questioned the award to a foreign contractor when the United States has been deemed to be heading toward economic turmoil, it’s a start.
