Time to give the devil his due

John McCain is on the receiving end of a lot of wrath and anger from those angry about the Air Force's new tanker deal that went to Airbus instead of Boeing. Boeing supporters in congress are directing their ire at McCain for his role in scuttling an earlier deal that would have clinched the deal for Boeing.

McCain called the earlier deal a textbook example of cronyism and corruption, and the courts agreed. Two officials went to prison over it.

Meanwhile, congresscritters squirm, and you almost feel sorry for them. Almost.

On the one hand, they are expected to bring home the pork for their district, and McCain took that away from quite a few of them...But on the other hand, how can they hammer him for taking on cronyism and corruption? Isn't that what we keep telling anyone who will listen that we want our politicians to do just that? Kinda hypocritical to get all peeved about it now that the chickens come home to roost.

But before you can muster any real sympathy for the poor dears and their dilemma, they go and open their mouths and you remember why you hate at least 532 of 535 members of congress with every fiber of your being.

I understand that jobs are important, but I hate hearing this sort of thing from Democrats. You don't turn a blind eye to illegality and corruption just because it provides pork. That congresspeople do so with reckless abandon and orgiastic glee is why congress consistently polls far below even the most unpopular of presidents. And it's stupid because the solution is so simple...Stop being two faced assholes if you want the electorate to stop hating you.

"I hope the voters of this state remember what John McCain has done to them and their jobs," said Rep. Norm Dicks, Washington Democrat, whose state would have been home to the tanker program and gained about 9,000 jobs.

"Having made sure that Iraq gets new schools, roads, bridges and dams that we deny America, now we are making sure that France gets the jobs that Americans used to have," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel, Illinois Democrat and a former Clinton White House adviser. "We are sending the jobs overseas, all because John McCain demanded it," Mr. Emanuel said.

I have lived more years of my adult life in Wichita than any other city. I understand the importance of Boeing in the big economic picture. But c'mon! It was greed and corruption that defeated the Boeing deal, and instead of ragging on the blind pig that came across a truffle for getting one right, blame the corrupt and greedy bastards that violated the public trust and ended up losing the whole deal in the process. It's on those jackals, not McCain.

I can think of a lot of reasons to oppose McCain with vengance and fury - but this ain't one of 'em. He didn't make those fuckers corrupt. They did that all of their own accord.