Posted by Tina
The U.S. lost a fighter jet contract with Brazil worth $4.5 billion in the wake of the South American country’s anger over revelations that President Obama’s intelligence agencies spied on the personal communications of President Dilma Rousseff.
Boeing was considered to be the front-runner for the contract with its F/A-18 Super Hornet until the leak from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Think of the job security for union members wrapped up in all that money.
So …?
Are you grieved because we’ve been indiscriminately spying … or because we got exposed for indiscriminately spying?
But you may be comforted (and surprised) to learn there is a little more to it. I mean, does a sensible purchaser go with an inferior product because of some tacky (well, maybe criminal) behavior? It makes sense for the Brazilians to go with SAAB, which makes an aircraft more suited to an emerging economy … not so many expensive bells and whistles.
Grieved? I don’t know if that actually would come close to what I’d feel in that situation. If I were Boeing, who was reportedly the frontrunner in the bidding, I’d be more than ticked off that my government’s terrible foreign policy efforts (and lack thereof) had denied my company and my employees a major opportunity.
Let’s face it, this administration has not been good for business generally. It has not engaged with other countries in a way that did Americans proud, whether enemy or friend.
” It makes sense for the Brazilians to go with SAAB, which makes an aircraft more suited to an emerging economy ”
Not if the Boeing bid was lower.
There is a very good chance that Brazil took the occasion to poke America in the eye, even if it cost them a few million.
Brazil isn’t the only country to express great displeasure with the president and his “Stasi” like NSA.
By the way, Brazil asked for a product and there is a chance that in their request for quote they defined the level of bells and whistles they wanted.
“… I’d be more than ticked off that my government’s terrible foreign policy efforts (and lack thereof) ….”
I’m glad to see you picking up new syntactic effects … very gratifying, but I think you’re confused. The NSA has been on a tear since 2001, which has only just been exposed. Obama can be faulted for failing to restrain the beggars.
And it’s not for any “lack” of foreign intervention that we are in the dog house with several of our global neighbors.
Some big cell/phone/system manufacturer (Cisco, I think) is truly pissed. Their would-be Chinese customers (big and growing companies) will not buy Cisco systems … cause they don’t want to be spyed on!
The Tea Party is for privatized military!.
You do not see ea party helping the rest of us try to get a hold on the NSA. Not a peep.
Hum GW and his phony 911, war in Iraq and the patriot act? Yep then the NSA goes on steroids? Gh Bush and his carlyle group making millions spying on Americans?
That is the Big Gov, the privatized Industrial Military complex
Audit the fed and the Pentagon and years of secret American terrorists will be revealed. The world has a right to hate us.
So now is that not the free markets?
Libby “intervention” isn’t the only Lego in the box. This administration sucks at diplomatic relations with our allies, he hasn’t done much better with those who tolerate us, and he’s been a disaster with our enemies. Hillary and now Kerry…what the heck did they bring to the job in the way of diplomatic experience?
Obama isn’t forgiven the spying because nobody thinks he can be trusted.
Cisco and other tech companies have plenty to be upset about. Obama glad hands these big players and makes all kinds of promises and then sticks it to them first chance he gets…all in secret meetings, mind you. (The most transparent….) Whether this is by evil design or simply by a combination of arrogance and ignorance I don’t know. What I do know is the man is not to be trusted, nor is anyone under him!
As for China there’s some talk of a big debt crisis coming soon…yeah they’ve been borrowing too!
Dewey: “So now is that not the free markets?”
No Dewey, that, to the degree that you are correct, is big government run amok!
“Obama glad hands these big players and makes all kinds of promises and then sticks it to them first chance he gets…all in secret meetings, mind you.”
We’ll be wanting proof of this Tina. Nobody’s buying your paranoid fantasies on spec.
In fact, I do believe I read that the Brazilian jet fighter negotiations have dragged on through THREE American administrations and were getting to be something of a joke.
Finally … the Brazilians get off the pot, but I expect they will make troublesome customers, and Boeing is well out of it.
Libby you may be right about that. I’m sure its little consolation to the employees who hoped for the security that job would have provided.
As for the players I wasn’t speaking about the Boeing job. I was talking about his private little talks with tech giants, bankers, and insurance groups. Corporatist deals were made in private (green energy) and intimidation tactics were used in some cases (Insurance and banks). Examples in the news:
Washington Times:
The Foundry:
NYT:
Real Clear Politics:
Politico what a laugh…”gritty world of governing”
This isn’t an example of governing…this is an example of Chicago style politics, plain and simple, he would do anything to shove this down the throats of the American people, including making deals (bribing and intimidating) companies and harming people when they lose their insurance in the middle of treatments.