President Obama has of late criticized Mitt Romney, accusing him of “outsourcing” jobs while at the helm of Bain Capital. Vice Plagiarizer* Joe Biden even called Romney a “job creator in Singapore, India, China.” It’s a false charge, but coming from an administration that is putting our entire country deep in hock to the ChiComs, it’s more than a bit rich.
But the fact is, the Obama administration stands as rank hypocrites when it comes to outsourcing. Through an Air Force contract, the Obama regime has been trying its best to outsource important national security jobs to a foreign entity in Brazil that has ties to the Iranian government. That entity is Embraer, about which we’ve already written quite a bit here at the Tatler. The Air Force is looking to build a fleet of light attack airplanes for the Afghan air force, which will use those planes against terrorist insurgents after American forces depart Afghanistan. American pilots will have to train those Afghan pilots, so it makes sense to use a plane with which American pilots are already familiar and which is already known to be a reliable, durable aircraft.
The two planes up for competition in the contracting process have been Kansas-based Hawker Beechcraft’s AT-6, and Embraer’s Super Tucano. US pilots have been training on a version of the AT-6 for decades, so they are quite familiar with the aircraft. US pilots don’t fly the Embraer aircraft. The Brazil-built Super Tucano isn’t even certified for weapons deployment by US or NATO forces, according to retired USAF Lt Gen Jeffrey Remington. Just getting that certification will take years, if Embraer ends up winning the final contract.
But set all that aside for a moment. The decision, made last year, to kick Hawker out of the competition without explanation and award the contract to the Brazilian firm would outsource about 1,400 jobs — national security jobs — to a foreign company. That foreign company in turn is controlled by a foreign government, and the company and that government have close ties to the mullahs who run Iran.
Why, then, is the Obama administration trying to outsource jobs to a foreign firm that’s close with one of America’s most bitter enemies? And who is Biden or any other member of the administration to criticize anyone else on outsourcing jobs? Make no mistake on this: The Obama administration is actively involved in the Embraer fiasco at the highest levels:
Because of the pressure coming from Brazil over the contract, the Obama administration and State Department are, in somewhat unprecedented fashion, stepping into the fray. In April, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited the country as part of a highly-publicized campaign to promote an initiative known as the US – Brazil Defense Cooperation Dialogue, during which he alluded to Brazil as among “our closest partners.”
Well, Obama did outsource oil drilling jobs to Brazil too, at US taxpayer expense no less, so the SecDef’s description may be more accurate than he let on. Brazil seems to have a seat at the Obama decision making table that he has not afforded any red state.
Which, among other things, means —
If the US Air Force chooses an aircraft manufactured outside our borders to be the LAS aircraft, then we are allowing that country to potentially have significant influence on our policies and relationships with the countries we are trying to help.
If Brazil’s Super Tucano was selected by the US, Brazil could later choose to not support our policies and withdraw training, people, parts, etc. used to support the aircraft. Where does that leave the US or Afghanistan?
Screwed, that’s where, and that seems to be Obama’s overall plan: Screw US interests and allies however he can.
All of this leads to a question: Is the Obama administration tilting for a foreign manufacturer in order to kill jobs in a red state, as he did when Boeing wanted to build a plant in non-union South Carolina, or is he just trying to give a foreign country (Brazil and Iran, possibly) some say over US policy in Afghanistan?
*In his 1988 run for the presidency, then Sen. Joe Biden was caught stealing personal anecdotes from British Labour party leader Neil Kinnock.
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