Richard Shelby Deserves a Thrashing--And He's Getting One

[Joanne98]

Cross Posted at Legal Schnauzer
Normally it isn't a good thing to kick a man while he's down. But we can make an exception in the case of U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL).

By placing a "blanket hold" on President Barack Obama's nominees for federal positions, Shelby attempted one of the most noxious political stunts in modern American history. When he removed the hold, Shelby essentially admitted the tactic had been a brazen attempt to coerce the White House into sending billions of dollars of earmarked funds to Alabama--that the holds had nothing to do with qualifications of the nominees.

As a progressive living in Birmingham, I get tired of our conservative "leaders" taking actions that put a black mark on a state that actually has quite a few nice qualities. We jumped on Shelby's case here and here--and we are pleased to report that others, from near and far, have joined the fray.


Birmingham-based Glynn Wilson, writing at truthout.org, says Shelby long has been a puppet for defense contractors:


Shelby has been trying to get a new FBI crime lab opened in Alabama, and he has been trying for months to strong arm the Air Force into reversing a legitimate bid of $35 billion as part of a $100 billion contract granted to Boeing to build refueling tankers for the military. Shelby wanted the contract to go to Northrop Grumman/EADs, a company which has given heavily to finance his campaigns and would have assembled the tankers in his home state.

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http://www.opednews.com/articles/Richard-Shelby-Deserves-a-by-Roger-Shuler-100212-45.html

[depakid]

1. The author also needs a thrashing for making up facts out of thin air about the tanker contract

[rfranklin]

2. Perhaps you could expand on that?

On what do you base that statement?

[unhappycamper]

3. The KC(X) tanker replacement project was for $35 billion. n/t

[rfranklin]

6. It is badly written but I think it does state that the contract was $35 billion...

for that project. The $100 billion probably covers other projects.

[ensemble]

7. tanker bidding

"...and he has been trying for months to strong arm the Air Force into reversing a legitimate bid of $35 billion as part of a $100 billion contract granted to Boeing to build refueling tankers for the military. Shelby wanted the contract to go to Northrop Grumman/EADs, a company which has given heavily to finance his campaigns and would have assembled the tankers in his home state."

Northrop won the previous contract, which Boeing successfully protested and nullified. They are in the process of resubmitting bids, and I think Northrop was protesting changes in the bidding process that they believe favor Boeing (I think Boeing has done the same in the past.)

Perhaps "reversing a legitimate bid" means he is supporting Northrop's current protest of the bidding process. As far as I know, Boeing has not been granted any $100 billion contract. Again, Northrop was granted the tanker contract and Boeing successfully contested it.

[WhiteTara]

4. from far away, I called and remarked he was

a traitor.

[rurallib]

5. Well it's not like he'll lose his job or anything