Obama: McCain wrong on tanker

[babylonsister]

Obama: McCain wrong on tanker
Posted September 12, 2008 5:15 PM
The Swamp

by Aamer Madhani


Sen. Barack Obama commended the Pentagon for postponing the controversial competition to overhaul the Air Force's aging tanker fleet, but he took aim today at the McCain campaign for its connections to the European aerospace manufacturer battling Chicago-based Boeing Co. for the $35 billion contract.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates made the surprise announcement on Wednesday that he was leaving the decision in the competition between Boeing and a consortium led by Northrop Grumman, which includes European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., parent of Airbus SAS, to the next administration.

In the remarks delivered via satellite to the conference of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers in Orlando, Fla., Obama reminded the union audience of Sen. John McCain's ties to lobbyists who worked on behalf of EADS

Sen. John McCain's former finance chairman was Thomas Loeffler, a former House member from Texas. His K Street lobbying firm, the Loeffler Group, began lobbying for EADS North America in 2007. Other campaign advisors who worked with Loeffler on the tanker program include finance director Susan Nelson and political advisor William Ball.

"While it was right for the Pentagon to cancel competition yesterday for the next generation of tankers, it was wrong for John McCain to reward two of the Washington lobbyists who worked against Boeing with jobs on his campaign," said Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee.

Loeffler resigned from the campaign in May after McCain implemented a policy prohibiting any campaign staffer from being a registered lobbyist or foreign agent.

more...

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2008/09/mccain_boeing_lobbyists.html

[godai]

1. This could be big.

Seems McCain was shopping around for donors in 2006 and may have worked out a deal with this Russian tycoon for McCain to try to get the AF to select EADS in the initial award, which was overturned. It was surprising at the time that Boeing was not selected.

http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3364.shtml

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

2. Pick a random topic and I'll give you even odds that McMooseMuffins is on the wrong side.