For some reason, it appears that Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL) seems to be overrepresented in such metrics.

In this case, he has a hold on Ashton Carter to become the next Pentagon acquisition chief, because, wait for it, he has not received a guarantee from SecDef Robert Gates that the he would, “make the tanker decision on best-value grounds.”

He is concerned that Airbus, which would assemble the aircraft in his state, will somehow be cheated out of the contract.

Ummm…The Airbus A-330 won the contract because it had a larger, more capable aircraft that could be delivered sooner, and had a fly-away cost roughly equal to the Boeing 767.

This is not an issue. The issue is your colleague in the House and Senate, doing the same work for Boeing that you are doing for EADS, will attempt to sabotage the process and get the contract awarded to the Seattle aircraft manufacturer on political grounds.

You do not need a guarantee from Gates or Carter, you need it from your fellow legislators.