And Washington State Goes To The Democrats

This could be a very damaging story, particularly in Washington state, the home of Boeing.

Critics on Tuesday questioned whether Sen. John McCain catered to special interests when he aggressively threw his support behind a $35 billion Pentagon contract for a European plane maker.

McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, played a crucial role in blocking the deal to build air tankers from going to U.S.-based Boeing, instead paving the path for EADS to score the loot. He framed his decision as an example of political integrity; Boeing has previously been exposed of contract abuse. But a review of campaign finance donations and lobbying records suggests that money and personal lobbying may have also been in play.

I don't know enough about aircrafts to say whether EADS bought off McCain to get the deal or if they just built a better plane. What I do know is that McCain got a lot of contributions from EADS and its subsidiaries after announcing his support for an "open process," which really just signaled that EADS should get the deal over Boeing, in so many words. In fact, a lot of those EADS officials are INSIDE McCain's campaign.

But there are myriad signs that EADS curried up to the Arizona Senator. And it wasn't just the money. According to an Associated Press report published on Tuesday, the McCain campaign currently employs individuals who just last year were lobbying on behalf of EADS.

"Two of the advisers gave up their lobbying work when they joined McCain's campaign," the AP wrote. "A third, former Texas Rep. Tom Loeffler, lobbied for the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. while serving as McCain's national finance chairman."

One of those advisers, John Green, left Ogilvy Government Relations to become McCain's congressional Republican liaison shortly after the EADS deal was announced.

The protestations against this from the McCain camp will not help him in Washington. It's politics, sure, but it's about time that this close connection to lobbyists ends up biting back on St. Maverick.