tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3669412675139526125.post3451933551468187916..comments2024-03-12T21:13:06.850-05:00Comments on Legal Schnauzer: Pentagon Commits Blunder on $40-Billion Tanker Project With Alabama Connectionslegalschnauzerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09619089628125964154noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3669412675139526125.post-48612097441023615422010-11-29T12:52:51.872-06:002010-11-29T12:52:51.872-06:00I thought the Kreig report tying the prosecution ...I thought the Kreig report tying the prosecution of Don Siegelman to the tanker project was somewhat dubious. It always seemed to me that some link was missing. This column prompted me to think again about the implications of awarding the tanker project to EADS which would build it in Mobile.<br /><br />Thinking back to Bob Riley's early days as Governor, we recall the revelation that his handlers had national political hopes for him. Bringing him back from DC to be Alabama's governor was to be an important step in that direction. Perhaps, then, an additional benefit to getting Siegelman out of the way was still largely political. Perhaps, they simply thought there was a 50/50 chance of the tanker being awarded to Alabama instead of Kansas and Washington.<br /><br />Riley, then, would reap the enormous political benefits as governor of a state that needed economic progress. Recall Riley's repetitive pronouncement at each little industrial victory: "this will fundamentally change the way the nation perceives Alabama." <br /><br />Those handlers, presumably including Bill Canary, probably did not anticipate the backlash from the Siegelman prosecution and the numerous reports of Mississippi Indian gaming money. Riley is damaged goods now and would have no hope of a political life on the national stage.mikkrikknoreply@blogger.com