For the past six years, one of John McCain's stop legislative goals has been blocking a huge aerial tanker contract won by by Boeing in late 2001.

McCain says he opposed the contract -- then valued at $26 billion -- because it was awarded without fair competition. He has a point -- one of the official involved the deal later plead guilty to corruption charges.

But instead of being satisfied with cleaning up the process, McCain continued to press the attack against Boeing, hoping to deny the company a victory when the contract was again put up for bidding.

Yesterday, McCain finally won. The Air Force awarded the contract -- now worth $40 billion -- to Northrup Grumman and Airbus.

The tankers themselves will be built in France and shipped to Alabama for final assembly.

So the net result of one of John McCain's proudest moments is that an defense contract crucial to the economic welfare of the United States is now going overseas and will help the French economy more than the American economy.

And during the delay of the past six years, the Air Force has continued to use decades-old refueling tankers.

Good work, John.