When the word came down that Northrop Grumman would not bid on the multi-billion dollar Air Force tanker contract, I thought back to a recurring theme from the White House.  Take a look at this story from the AP on Monday:

The Obama administration had said such sole-source contracts aren’t a good deal for the taxpayer.

Sole-source as in, no one else bidding, just like the KC-X contract.

Back when he was Senator Obama, the President had this to say when it appeared Northrop Grumman and EADS  had won the first round of bidding.  The story appeared on the website of  The Wall Street Journal on April 1, 2008:

Sen. Barack Obama said Tuesday he fully supports a congressional investigation of the awarding of a Pentagon contract last month to Europe’s Airbus, which teamed up with Northrop Grumman to beat out Chicago-based Boeing Co.

Boeing had been heavily favored to win the contract worth up to $40 billion for the next generation of Air Force refueling tankers. The Illinois senator admitted his bias towards Boeing because it is headquartered in his hometown of Chicago. [added emphasis there]

Obama had expressed his disappointment over the deal when the decision was announced. “If we’re going to create an enormous contract for the U.S. military, I would think we would want … U.S. companies that are employing U.S. workers,” he said Tuesday.

But he said that it was important for Congress to investigate whether Boeing’s bid had been competitive. If it wasn’t, then maybe the Pentagon had made a good deal, he said. “If Airbus was saving the Pentagon 50, 25 or even 15 or 10 percent, then maybe they could make a credible argument for it,” Obama said.

Two years ago, there was concern about evidence of a competitive bid. What about no bid, at all?

As far as I can find (thanks to Lexis-Nexis and Google News), there has been no reaction from the White House to the Northrop announcement.

So, I decided to try to get a comment.

For all the talk of transparency, I tried in vain to find an e-mail address on the White House website that would allow me to contact the Office of the Press Secretary.  So, I called the office of Congressman Jo Bonner.  Bonner’s press secretary said he didn’t know of  an e-mail address, but gave me a phone number to try.

The woman who answered the phone at the White House answered on the first ring (good sign), listened politely (another good sign), and took my phone number and e-mail address (great!).

I am still waiting to hear what the White House thinks of this particular “sole-source contract”.

Mr. Gibbs, the lines are open.  Leave a message if I’m not there.

I first got a hint of things to come Monday morning when I received a call on my cell phone from a local political figure, giving me word that Northrop Grumman was about  to announce whether or not it would bid on the $35 billion Air Force tanker project.

To be honest, the company’s statement wasn’t a big surprise.  Northrop Grumman had been warning for months that it might not bid because it felt the RFP (Request For Proposal) was biased in favor of Boeing.

There was fear dating back to the Presidential campaign that a Democratic victory would be a harbinger of how the process would end.  Look at this transcript from a story I wrote the day before the inauguration:

  Alabama congressman Artur Davis is one of the president-elect’s oldest friends and co-chair of the inaugural parade.  This afternoon, I asked Congressman Davis about Mobile’s and Northrop Grumman’s chances of securing the Air Force tanker contract, considering the new president’s ties to Chicago, the headquarters of Boeing.

 Davis told me, “I have no doubt that if they give it a fair hearing, that Mobile will win out, and that tanker will be built in Mobile.  Jo Bonner and I will have an announcement to make in just a few days that, I think, will be of some interest to a lot of people in the Mobile area about a very important visitor that we have coming to town in the next several weeks. I won’t step on that story.  We’ll save it for Thursday, but suffice it to say, Congressman Bonner and I are both working very hard to get that tanker built in Mobile and to give us our fair shot.  If Mobile has a fair shot, it will win.” I asked, “Can you give us a hint?” “ We’ll do better than that.  We’ll send out a release on Thursday morning.”

The announcement was that John Murtha would be visiting Brookley Field, which would have been the site of Northrop Grumman’s assembly plant.   Murtha was the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that oversaw Pentagon spending. He was open to the idea of a “split buy”, allowing both Northrop Grumman/EADS and Boeing to manufacture the tankers.  Murtha died in February, and in the opinion of all local leaders along the Gulf Coast, Mobile didn’t get the “fair shot” about which Congressman Davis was speaking.

I’ve had a Facebook account since the time you needed an .edu address to get one, and I’ve used it to stay in touch with family and people I knew personally.  As friends acquired friends, I started getting requests to accept folks whom I didn’t know.  I always declined.

Effective today, that changes.  If you log onto Facebook and search for Bob Grip, you can find a brand new FB page designed for friends I haven’t met personally…mainly, you the viewer.  I’ve already posted some pictures of the TV station, with more stuff to come.

So, if you’re a Facebook fan, check out my new Facebook page!

Rep. Jo Bonner speaking with high school students

Hundreds of high school students from throughout Alabama’s First Congressional District gathered at Byrne Memorial Hall on the campus of Spring Hill College for an annual event, sponsored by Representative Jo Bonner.

Each year, he meets with high school leaders to talk about what’s happening in Congress and to take their questions. 

I’ve been a participant in this event since Bonner’s former boss, Sonny Callahan sponsored it, and I continue to be impressed by the thoughtful questions that come from the students. 

After Bonner left for a flight to Washington, I moderated a panel of local legislative leaders including State Representatives Jamie Ison and James Buskey and State Senator Trip Pittman.  We talked about everything from the Bingo controversy to funding for the arts in public schools.

When my session wrapped up, Lenise took the stage with other members of the media to field questions from the students about media coverage.

Friday, we received some information which could explain the sudden resignation of Dr. Gorman Houston of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church.

Here’s the problem.  There is no way to confirm it because it came in the form of an anonymous letter which had no supporting documentation.

Until and unless something more substantial can be found, the document goes into the rumor file.

I renewed an annual Mardi Gras tradition Saturday night, serving as the Master of Ceremonies for the Mystics of Time Mardi Gras Ball.

While the event doesn’t begin until 9, you have to get there early to get a place to park.  Usually, it comes down to timing.  You have to arrive at the parking lot of the Civic Center just as the last MOT float leaves, which usually means around 7.  This year was different.

After spending 10 minutes driving in a tight circle, waiting for police to open the road into the parking lot, I finally stopped and asked when they were going to open access to the lot.  They said they didn’t know, because the lot was already full.  Since Mobile is now home for a larger cruise ship, the parking garage built to accommodate the passengers is no longer big enough.  The overflow winds up in a part of the Civic Center parking lot, and that means 300 fewer spots are available.  I wound up parking west of Expo Hall, on Monroe Street.

Once finally inside, I had the chance to visit the rooms and sample the food before the 5,800 guests descended on them.   There was plenty of shrimp and assorted other Cajun specialities in this particular room.  Delicious!

The tableau started promptly at 9, and included a tribute to Emmitt Dubose, the Dragonmaster of the MOT, who died last year.  The maskers on Verna and Dean (the two fire-breathing dragon floats) wore black costumes in honor of Mr. Dubose.  They also wore medallions honoring him.

In what may be a first, I streamed the grand march of the members from my iPhone to ustream.tv, which gave anyone in the world a chance to join in the fun.  Granted, my iPhone isn’t designed to stream video, but it more or less worked.

Around midnight, the King and Queen of the Mobile Carnival Association made their annual appearance at the MOT Ball, exchanging toasts and gifts with Father Time and Queen Carly.

I visited Mr. Kim Espiritu’s Journalism class at Hankins Middle School Monday morning.  A great class with lots of good questions!

It’s the kind of place you don’t really want to visit, unless you need it.  Then you’re relieved it’s there.

I’m talking about the $125 million, Mitchell Cancer Institute off Springhill Avenue in Mobile.  Kelly McCarron, the Assistant Director for Medical Development gave me a tour of the impressive facility which was created “to help prevent, treat and cure cancer in the upper Gulf Coast region”.

The complex turns the idea of a drab research lab on its head.  This is no concrete bunker.  There is plenty of light and glass, which reinforces the symbiotic relationship between the researchers on one side of the building, and the patients receiving treatment on the other.  The design literally gives patients hope, by allowing them to see the research underway.

Part of the complex is an out-patient facility, where patients come to the infusion suite to receive their chemotherapy treatment.  The design of the building makes it as hopeful as possible for them.  They face floor to ceiling windows as they sit in overstuffed, comfortable chairs.  There are flat screens which enable them to surf the internet or watch DVDs.  Since chemotherapy patients are sensitive to the smell of food, there is no cafeteria in the building.  There is even free valet parking to make it as easy as possible for the patients to visit.

Patients who need radiation can receive it in state-of-the-art treatment rooms, eliminating the need to travel to New Orleans, Birmingham or farther to get the help they need.

One goal of the Mitchell Cancer Institute is to become a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center within the next decade, putting it in the same category as University of Alabama-Birmingham, the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta or M.D. Anderson in Houston. 

As the only academic cancer research center along the northern Gulf Coast, it is already on its way.

I hate meetings.

I love Apple products.

Maybe there’s a connection. 

While reading Steve Lohr’s essay about Apple and its CEO Steve Jobs in the Sunday New York Times, I was struck by the following line: 

His is not a product-design philosophy steered by committee or determined by market research. The Jobs formula, say colleagues, relies heavily on tenacity, patience, belief and instinct. 

The words, “committee meeting” make my eyes glaze over.  I believe on the rare occasion that a meeting is necessary, it should be conducted in a room without chairs.  I guarantee that would encourage folks to say what they have to say, and actually get back to the work of doing whatever needs to be done. 

The late executive producer of 60 Minutes, Don Hewitt, once said, “If we had meetings, the show would look like a meeting.  If we wrote memos, the show would look like a memo. We don’t have meetings and we don’t write memos.” 

If one of my former employers had completely trusted market research, I certainly wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing today.  Here’s the back-story… 

I was a very green reporter/photographer/producer in the mid-1970s when I was called into the boss’ office on a Friday afternoon and told, “We are starting a Sunday newscast this weekend and you are the anchor.”  “Great,” I replied.  “Who’s doing weather and sports”?  “You are,” was the reply.  “Who’s going to be reporting”? I asked.  “You are,” was the reply again.  “When does it air”? “Sunday night at 10:45.”  

This wasn’t exactly prime time.  Despite the late hour and odd time, I built a loyal following; my wife watched every newscast. She was in the studio with me, not wishing to be left at home on a Sunday night. She also got to be very good at framing me up in stand-ups, since she would also go out on stories with me.  Other than my wife, I’m not sure anyone outside the station ever saw the newscast. 

Now back to market research. When that station commissioned a research project and asked a question about my name recognition and visibility in the market, you can guess the response.  

I like to think the manager saw beyond that to my tenacity, patience, belief and instinct and kept me around. Or, it could have just been the size of my paycheck at the time.

I was sorry to read the story about the death of J.D.  Salinger, the author of the landmark book The Catcher in the Rye.

The classic featuring the anti-hero Holden Caulfield, was my favorite book in junior high school.  Unlike other books that were required reading (like Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness),  I dove straight into The Catcher in the Rye almost without stopping.

Salinger’s death got me thinking about other books that had a profound effect on me.

One was the work of Russian author, Alexander Solzhenitsyn.   I also read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in junior high school, and was intrigued by the story of life in the Soviet labor camps.    Growing up, I heard plenty of stories about Soviet oppression from my relatives with ties to eastern Europe, and I was drawn to find out more about it.

The other book was the autobiography of writer and Cistercian monk, Thomas Merton.  The Seven Storey Mountain became an instant best-seller during the post-World War II era, and remains in print today, more than 40 years after the author’s death.  His unique ability to make the reader believe he has written the book for you personally, is an enormous attraction.  So is the story of his wild life before entering the Abbey of Gethsemani outside Bardstown, Kentucky.  Reading SSM led to me to research U.S. Government records to see if agencies like the FBI, CIA, etc. had kept an eye on him (the short answer is, yes).  It also led to my current position as President of an organization called The International Thomas Merton Society, with about a thousand members all over the world.

ADDENDUM: Salinger became reclusive after his success, which made me think of another successful and reclusive author, Monroeville’s Harper Lee, the author of To Kill a Mockingbird.  So, I contacted her sister at her law firm. (I didn’t actually speak with Alice Lee, because I was told she does not talk on the phone).  I left word that I was looking for reaction to the death of J.D. Salinger.  A few minutes ago, I received a reply, again through an intermediary.  The woman told me, “Neither she nor her sister would have any comment”.  Not that I would have expected anything more.