Seattle's local press, talk shows and blogs have reported many things about John McCain. One item they are not covering, however, is his total revulsion and loathing of The Boeing Company. He would rather see our military use airplanes made by the French than allow the Pentagon to buy one more plane from Boeing. The 767 vs Airbus A330 tanker, and his refusal to consider new C-17s are two great examples.

Granted, "Boeing" had not been the best corporate citizen in the years immediately following the takeover by McDonnell Douglas. The merged company may have used the Boeing name, but the leadership was from MD, and it was mainly the MD leadership that got us into trouble. Boeing has completely cleaned house in recent years but employees continue to suffer because of executive missives. With Sears in jail and Harry out of the picture, Boeing is once again a good corporate citizen. Boeing employees must sign contracts that they will work legally, ethically, and with integrity. But no matter what Boeing does now, McCain's grudge appears permanent.

So I have a few questions for John McCain: Why do you hate Boeing so badly? Why do you wish harm to the hundreds of thousands of Boeing's American workers by supporting Airbus? Even though Boeing has taken steps to clean house, why are you continuing to hold a grudge and turn up your nose at our fellow American workers and stock holders? What will you say to the workers on the 767 line who lose their jobs when the line is closed because non-Americans are building the new US tanker?

And I have a question for the local press and talk show hosts: Why are you giving McCain a free pass on this issue that is so critical to the Northwest?

[Updated 15-Jan-2007 with the following (because comments were closed)]

Fuzzy: Contrary to your comment below, McCain continues to hold up the Boeing Company as the posterchild for abuse in government contracting. He has mentioned Boeing by name in several of the presidential debates and has a TV ad specifically going after Boeing. Look Look here, and find the video named "Guts".

You say, "He hasn't said anything negative about Boeing since the scandle came to light 4 years ago!" That is just plain wrong.

Consider the article McCain dogging Boeing dated 1/7/2008. It begins as follows:

"Just as Boeing Co. appears poised to win a string of major defense contracts, an old nemesis is threatening to play spoiler again.

Last month, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called for an investigation into Boeing's relationship with the Air Force as the two lobbied to restore funding for cargo-plane production. His accusations cast a shadow over a much larger deal for which Boeing submitted its final bid last week: the contract to build a new fleet of aerial refueling tankers that could be worth more than $100 billion in the decades ahead.

Mr. McCain's lingering antagonism toward Boeing is significant not only because he carries a big stick in the Capitol ... but also because his latest allegations raise questions about the ethical reforms Boeing says it has instituted in the last three years under CEO W. James McNerney Jr."