That’s one lesson to take out of the GAO’s scathing rebuke of the Air Force for rewarding a $40 billion contract to Northrup Grunman and European company Airbus,  instead of Boeing. The Washington Post’s Dana Hedgepeth and Robert O’Harrow Jr. report that the contract for refueling tankers, which incorrectly reasoned that Northrup Grunman could make a more inexpensive tanker, further sullies the reputation of the Air Force, which recently fired two top officials.

It also adds to the saga of Boeing, a defense contracting giant that supplies 44,000 jobs to Americans. Senators, whose constitutents have those jobs, have relentlessly criticized the Air Force for not giving Boeing the tanker deal. Their objections have turned out to be warranted. But it would be nice if lawmakers could also get worked up about the billions in cost overruns on Boeing-led weapons programs. -MB

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