Union labor at Northrup-Gruman have long felt that they have been short-changed as contracts seemed to favor Boeing heavily.

Air Force Secretary Wynne says that based on nine key criteria, "the Northrup Gruman airplane was clearly a better performer." I will accept that, grumbling politicians not withstanding.

The engines on the plane will be made by General Electric in Ohio and North Carolina.

The real issue is whether the U. S. A. will join with its logical partners in NATO and the EU. Xenophobic isolationism is no longer viable.