Tanker battle reheats

Published 9:00 pm Sunday, June 5, 2005

The Chicago Tribune’s reporter in DC looks at lobbying efforts by Boeing and Airbus, which are both angling for the anticipated new contract for aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

Key Quote: ” ‘They (Airbus) are definitely the tortoise, but they’re doing the right things,’ said Keith Ashdown, vice president for policy for the group Taxpayers for Common Sense, which was highly critical of the first Boeing-Air Force tanker deal. ‘They’re lobbying better than a giant American company.’ “

Second key quote: “A decision on a new tanker deal is hardly imminent. Stung by the flap over the earlier proposal, the Air Force is studying just how many tankers it will need and what sort of force it will service.”

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0506050294jun05,1,2244282.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed