Investigators Say It Wasn't Just Darleen Druyun's Fault

It wasn't just one person. A new Pentagon report says there's plenty of blame to spread around in the Boeing tanker scandal. It says several top Pentagon officials failed in either awarding the $23 billion contract or simply didn't provide sufficient oversight.

A Pentagon spokesman acknowledged the existence of the report and promised it would be released within ten days, according to Knight-Ridder.

The scandal involved former Air Force official Darleen Druyun, who admitted trading her support for the 100-aircraft deal in order to obtain a high-level job at Boeing. Darleen Druyun is now serving a federal prison sentence and is reportedly cooperating with investigators. She and Boeing CFO Michael Sears were fired from the company after the story broke last year.

The DoD Inspector General's "accountability report" laid much of the additional blame at the feet of Edward "Pete" Aldridge, the former Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisitions, and his replacement, Michael Wynne.

Unnamed sources told Knight-Ridder that the report found Aldridge approved the Boeing tanker deal on the day before he left the Pentagon -- without even convening either the Defense Acquisitions Board or the Defense Leasing Board, as was standard procedure. Aldridge himself is now on Lockheed-Martin's board of directors.

FMI: www.defenselink.mil, www.boeing.com