Mon, May 19, 2008
Tiahrt Praised Planemaker's Jobs Six Years Ago
US Representative Todd Tiahrt has represented the 4th District
of Kansas in Congress since 1995. He's slamming the decision by the
US Air Force to award the KC-X contract for the next-generation
aerial refueling tanker to Northrop Grumman and EADS. His position
is popular with Boeing employees and US unions, but is being
characterized as a misinformation campaign by Airbus officials.
Six years ago, Tiahrt praised a decision by Airbus North America
to open an engineering office in Wichita. Now, 200 Airbus employees
there are taking exception to Tiahrt's anti-Airbus tirades.
In a recent speech before a crowd of Boeing supporters, Tiahrt
made reference to EADS's recent attempt to sell military
helicopters in Iran, and allegations of insider trading and illegal
government subsidies, in arguing that the bid from Northrop
Grumman and EADS should have been disallowed.
Airbus North America chairman Allan McArtor told the Wichita
Eagle that Tiahrt has "...gone beyond a chance of misinterpretation
or misunderstanding of the Air Force selection process," and is
engaging in an "intentional misinformation campaign."
Specifically, Tiahrt says the KC-45A tanker was chosen through a
flawed process, can operate from fewer bases, is less survivable
and less fuel-efficient than Boeing smaller plane, which would be
based on the 767 airliner.
McArtor notes that the selection process drew compliments from
Boeing... until Boeing lost. He calls Tiahrt's other assertions
"patently wrong."
On his "Tanker Blog," Tiahrt asserts "An American tanker should
be built by an American company with American workers." McArtor
counters that "I don't find Alabamans any less American than
Kansans."
Tiahrt was employed by Boeing for 14 years before he ran for
Congress.
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