WASHINGTON – Last week, The Washington Post managed to surreptitiously stumble across a document revealing that several members of the House Defense Appropriations subcommittee are being investigated by the House Ethics Committee. But included in this leaked documented were some notable players in the Boeing-Northrop Grumman/EADS struggle for the KC-X tanker bid. The catch – they were generally all on the pro-Boeing side of the equation.

Included in this document was Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., the chair of the subcommittee, but also included were Reps. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., and Norm Dicks, D-Wash. – two of the most outspoken opponents of awarding this lucrative Pentagon contract to Northrop Grumman/EADS. This revelation could be a shot in the arm for Mobile’s economy.

But here’s the kicker – heading this investigation, at least on the Republican side anyway, is Mobile’s own Rep. Jo Bonner, the ranking Republican on the House Ethics Committee.

It’s a bit of a leap to suggest Bonner would use his position on the Ethics committee in such a self-serving manner, but it does raise questions about who and how the proponents in Congress of a solely Boeing tanker contract are operating.

According to the Post story, the Ethics Committee, chaired by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif., is looking into a connection between the clients of a now-defunct DC lobbying firm, the PMA Group, and a handful of members that have steered funds to those clients.

This bombshell story comes at a bad time for Congress, with all-time low approval ratings and failed promises of cleaning up the “culture of corruption” the Democratic leadership on Capitol Hill pledged to do throughout both the 2006 and 2008 campaigns.

Alabama Delegation United for Mobile

The entire Alabama delegation, with the exception of Rep. Parker Griffith D-Huntsville, whose district has a strong Boeing presence, made a collective show of unified support for the area’s effort to land the aforementioned contract. The delegation, which included Sens. Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and Reps. Jo Bonner, Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, Robert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, Mike Rogers, R-Saks, Spencer Bachus, R-Vestavia Hills, and Bobby Bright, D-Montgomery, held a press conference last week to protest the Air Force’s new Request for Proposals for the KC-X tanker, which according to them was tailor-made for Boeing. Shelby referred to the Boeing prototypes, which could come in cheaper for the Pentagon, as “paper airplanes.”

“Despite assurances from the Department of Defense and the Air Force that this competition would be structured ‘down the middle,’ it clearly favors one competitor,” Shelby said. “The draft RFP creates a cost shootout where the lowest priced bid wins, regardless of additional capabilities offered – capabilities that could save the lives of our war fighters. Such a race to the bottom is unworthy of our men and women in uniform. The draft RFP needs a serious rewrite to ensure that the taxpayer and the war fighter are equally protected. We cannot have our military flying in paper airplanes simply because it’s cheaper.”

Shelby admitted there probably isn’t much they could do directly to change the minds of the Pentagon brass, including Defense Secretary Robert Gates. However, the gesture is important for two reasons – to show they won’t go down without a fight and to draw attention to this from other members and perhaps the media so that Boeing can’t just have their way and the process remains honest.

Gubernatorial Salvos: Ivey Tells Supporters to Lobby Davis Against ‘Obamacare’

Although we’re months out from having the two main party nominees for governor, 2010 Alabama Gubernatorial candidate and State Treasurer Kay Ivey isn’t taking on her GOP opponents by Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rep. Artur Davis directly.

“I’ve said for months that I fiercely oppose ‘Obamacare,’” Ivey said. “Today I ask Congressman Davis: will you stand up for Alabama’s working families and oppose this bill? Or will you stand alongside Nancy Pelosi? I would like a direct ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, please. As a candidate for governor, the people of Alabama deserve to know which way you will cast your vote.”

Davis may be a Democrat, but he has indicated that he’s not as liberal as the national Democratic Party and that as it stood several weeks ago – he’s not going to support so-called “Obamacare.” He told Lagniappe recently he would be open to the Senate’s version of health insurance reform. However, since then the Democratic leadership in the Senate has come out in favor of the infamous public option.

Pelosi Drops Health Care Bomb

Last week, Pelosi with much pomp and circumstance, unveiled the House’s version of health care reform on the West lawn of the Capitol. And it was as expected – a gigantic 1,990-page document full of all kinds of surprises hidden in the nooks and crannies of it, including provisions allowing the federal government to regulate vending machines, “to ensure everyone can see the nutrition labels on items in same before purchasing their food” and scholarships and loan forgiveness for veterinary students. I guess that means it’ll help your dog and cat as well.

Rep. Jo Bonner had this reaction to Pelosi’s bill immediately following her release.

“Rather than telling the American people how a big government solution is needed to improve America’s health care system, I have spent the last 10 months listening to Alabamians’ concerns about health care - what they want and what they would like to see changed,” Bonner said in an e-mail. “Instead of a Washington-imposed plan, I’ve heard calls for meaningful medical liability reform and continued personal choice of doctors and care decisions without government intrusion. These are the ideas that House Republicans have been advocating as we attempt to fix what’s broken, while preserving the best of the American health care system. Needless to say, our views have been ignored by the Democrat leadership.”