C-17 targeted - again

The White House budget calls for scrapping the Boeing cargo plane, though we've heard that tune before and nothing has ever come of it. That's because killing off the C-17 would mean the loss of 5,000 Long Beach jobs and not many lawmakers are willing to risk the wrath of constituents who would be put out of work. Here's Barbara Boxer's comment:

"While I agree with President Obama's focus on job creation in his new budget, this is one area where we don't agree. I will work to restore funding for this program that is important for so many of our military and humanitarian missions."

Translation: I'm all for you, fella, as long as it doesn't cost me votes this fall. Eliminating the program would supposedly save $2.5 billion. This is one of those hopeless cases of conflicting agendas. From the OC Register:

If we don't receive any orders beyond what we have today we would deliver the last C-17 in September, 2012,'' said Boeing spokesman Jerry Drelling. Last year Obama also zeroed out the program but California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer and House members, including Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, went to bat for the plane. They succeeded in getting 10 more aircraft funded in this year's budget.