doublespeak

Senator John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee to the presidential election, has single handedly made America less safe. It may seem like a stretch to say, but how else would one characterize the way he single-handedly prevented the Air Force from awarding its refueling tanker to Boeing? Instead, Airbus will assemble parts at an assembly plant in Mobile, AL, ala the disaster that Boeing itself encountered in trying to build the 787 Dreamliner on schedule. In truth, this is just the end result of colossal corruption scandals and bureaucratic bungling, and the American taxpayers are getting trampled underfoot as various parties move into position to reap as much profit as possible.

In more conceptual terms, this move could represent the Military Industrial Complex beginning to cannibalize its own pieces as it begins to come to terms with its own unsustainable nature. And so, another 100 year cycle comes to an end. My favorite quote is from Gen. Lichte, who apparently regards the economic concerns as trivial, or of tertiary importance.

At a news conference, Air Force officials said that the creation of domestic jobs was not a factor in the decision. In response to questions about possible negative reaction to the deal in Congress, Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, head of the Air Force’s Air Mobility Command, said, “This will be an American tanker, flown by American airmen with an American flag on its tail and, every day, it will be saving American lives.”