New War Of Words In The Tanker Battle

Washington Senator Patty Murray has ignited a new war of words in the battle to land a $40 billion tanker contract.

Murray told NPR's All Things Considered that she "stood on the line in Everett, Washington where we have thousands of workers who go to work every day to build these planes. I would challenge anybody to tell me that they’ve stood on a line in Alabama and seen anybody building anything.”

Alabama Governor Bob Riley said “Surely Senator Murray was just misquoted because it would be absolutely absurd for anyone to say something so ridiculous. Alabama is, after all, the home of automobile plants, aerospace and defense companies, the rocket that took man to the moon, and many of the same companies that Senator Murray represents.”

Senator Richard Shelby called the statement ignorant. In a letter to Murray, Shelby said “to declare that Alabama cannot build anything is simply ignorant. Alabama has a proven track record of establishing world-class manufacturing operations and was not considered a precarious location in 2003 when the state was named as a finalist in Boeing’s search for the 787 Dreamliner assembly plant.”

Northrop Grumman/EADS won the contract last year and planned to build the new Air Force refueling tankers in Mobile. But Boeing protested and the decision was overturned by the Pentagon.

If Boeing wins the new contest, the planes will be built in Washington state.