Boeing's tanker competition is Boeing

EPIC poets will be needed to describe Boeing's pursuit of a lucrative Air Force contract to build 179 refueling tankers.

The story took yet another turn when Northrop Grumman dropped out of the competition, but a deal is not signed and nearly a decade of surprises counsel restraint.

Boeing's status as sole bidder means its new rivals are the Pentagon bean counters who will stay up late to ensure the aerospace giant does not abuse its opportunity to a set price.

Signing a contract means 2,000 jobs in Everett, and as many as 6,000 additional jobs around the state, according to Seattle Times aerospace reporter Dominic Gates.

Boeing makes a quality product, a source of pride in Washington state, but the heart of the issue has always been jobs, jobs, jobs. Never more so than in 2001, when a potential tanker deal was first announced. The news came as Boeing said it would lay off 30,000 workers.

By December 2001, the tanker contract looked like a done deal. Then the military procurement version of waterboarding began.

The Government Accountability Office did not like the deal. Should the Air Force buy new or upgrade existing planes? Lease or buy?

Auditors questioned the deal. Boeing won the contract in 2004, only to have it all unravel in scandal and jail terms. Northrop Grumman and its European partner got the contract in 2008, but Boeing successfully challenged.

Another contract, new specifications, and Northrop complained they were written to favor Boeing. Grumble, grumble, and Northrop Grumman dropped out of the competition.

Now it falls to Boeing to offer a number the Air Force will accept. May the best airplane manufacturer on the planet succeed.