A pro-Boeing source sent me the following this AM...

The best indication we have at this point is that the GAO decision on the Boeing protest of the Air Force tanker contract is likely to be announced late Wednesday. The initial announcement in these cases (e.g. the CSAR-X protest) will be somewhat limited, simply stating the GAO’s conclusion, for example, that the Air Force made serious mistakes in conducting the competition. In the CSAR-X case, the announcement said: “GAO sustained the protest on the basis that the Air Force’s actual evaluation of the MPLCC (most probable life-cycle cost) was inconsistent with the required approach as set forth in the solicitation.” GAO recommended that the solicitation should be “amended,” but later recommended that the CSAR-X competition be re-opened.

So it looks like GAO might make an initial call on the tanker deal tomorrow -- a day earlier than planned.

And here's another interesting way of phrasing the controversy from the anti-EADS folks as well:

The Air Force was pressured into altering the program requirements and the decisionmaking models, leading to its subsequent misjudgment of the factors of 1] Mission Capability, 2] Risk, 3] Past Performance and 4] Cost.

The Air Force was pressured? By whom? McCain...who spent little time on this issue once it was recompeted?

The arguments are getting weirder and weirder as this goes forward. We're all sort of holding our breath to see how this shakes out. Colin's piece yesterday was interesting too in noting the cold reception U.S. reps could get at Farnborough if the KC-45 is pulled.

-- Christian