Pork in eye of beholder

tiahrtRep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, and Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., sent a letter Monday to the assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition requesting an independent cost assessment of the tanker proposals from Boeing and from Northrop Grumman/European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. “The United States Congress and the American people have a right to know the true cost of each proposal,” the letter said.

But J.D. Crowe, editorial cartoonist for the Press-Register in Mobile, Ala. (where the Northrop tanker would be assembled), has a different take on the congressmen’s advocacy.

18 Comments

  1. Regular
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 8:28 am | Permalink

    One has to admit that with all the subsidies and exclusions that Northrop got, it was not a fair contract evaluation. Challenging it, is the proper thing to do.

    Regardless of politics, no one would expect less effort if a Democrat was in the position.

  2. Phantom
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 9:26 am | Permalink

    Mccain had the evaluation of foreign subsidies removed as part of the bid process. Get your revenge at election time. Also, your two Senators, Roberts and Brownback supported the Mccain ammendment.
    Vengence is yours.

  3. Phantom
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 9:28 am | Permalink

    They can’t even do a good cartoon, and you want them building our military tankers?

  4. bth
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 9:36 am | Permalink

    For decades Boeing was on the receiving end of the government pork parade. Tiahrt’s job at Boeing was in government pork procurement. He was able to continue sending pork to his employer while he was in Congress for many years. Unfortunately for him and for his employer the corruption surrounding the proposed tanker lease program that they tried to get was just too much.

    I don’t know if Northrup deserved the contract. However, it should be realized that Boeing’s culture of corruption is what led to this whole fiasco. Perhaps if Boeing had focused more on quality and on developing a top-notch proposal they might have won the bid process. Instead, Boeing relied on its connections; those connections have lost their value.

  5. Posted May 20, 2008 at 11:39 am | Permalink

    I always thought of Tiahrt as being a “horse’s a$$,” but I suppose pig’s a$$ is more accurate.

  6. Posted May 20, 2008 at 11:53 am | Permalink

    When it comes to pork nobody beats Tiahrt:
    http://www.progressivepunch.org/members.jsp?state=KS&district=4&issue=S0

    But when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars to help taxpayers with things like health care for children, educational benefits for veterans, etc. he’ll declare the programs too expensive and vote against them.

    All we need to do is follow the money. His campaign bribes, er donations, come largely from corporations.

  7. LLTVET
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 12:08 pm | Permalink

    I still want to hear the logic behind how Republican Boeing Union Members (I know, I know, an oxymoron) are going to vote for McCain come November.

    I know the basics, Tiahrt is the pascal lamb. But will someone please spell it out. I could use a good laugh.

  8. bth
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 1:09 pm | Permalink

    Tankerless Todd will campaign for McBush. Kansas will vote for “stay the course” even though 74% say we are on the wrong track.

  9. LLTVET
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 1:24 pm | Permalink

    Not Stay the Course. Change you deserve.

  10. Phantom
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 1:36 pm | Permalink

    They vote for it, the definitely have it coming!

  11. Phantom
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 1:37 pm | Permalink

    Vote Republican, it hurts so good!

  12. WichiWomn
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 1:37 pm | Permalink

    Another dead horse, the Air Force is not going to change their mind. McCain saw to it that Boeing lost the contract years ago even though they have cleaned up their act. You can’t continue to punish the whole company for the sins of a few. Those responsible were punished, and Boeing is still paying the price.

  13. Phantom
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 2:11 pm | Permalink

    Agreed. The workforce, who had nothing to do with it, did pennance through endless ethics training!

  14. WichiWomn
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 2:15 pm | Permalink

    No joke. Those that had nothing to do with any of the infractions were ‘re-trained’ to death and still are.

  15. bth
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 2:20 pm | Permalink

    When the contract was reopened and put out to bid did Boeing respond with the best proposal? I know they claim that they did but it seems that others have a very different opinion on that.

  16. Phantom
    Posted May 20, 2008 at 2:31 pm | Permalink

    I believe the responded with the best proposal to the then stated specs., and didn’t take seriously the concessions being made to airbus’s proposal, as they most likely figured they were just being humored to keep them in the process.

  17. Posted May 20, 2008 at 4:14 pm | Permalink

    Why is Tiahrt whining about the tanker deal anyway if he voted to allow outsourcing the tanker deal to France?

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