Group 218

The Air Force tanker deal that caused so much uproar among Washington's elected officials because a large military contract was given to European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co. and Northrop-Grumman instead of local firm Boeing has not been used to score political points until Monday.

Politico.com reports on a new development where the campaign of Darcy Burner (D-Carnation) is accusing Rep. Dave Reichert's campaign of trying to have it both ways on the issue.

Reichert has been an outspoken critic of the deal, attempting most recently to get pro-EADS advertisements off the radio in Washington, D.C., but Burner's campaign is airing the fact that a recent fundraiser organized for Reichert was arranged by a group called Club 218 which is led by lobbyists for, among other organizations, EADS and fellow Boeing competitor Alabama Aircraft Industries.

UPDATE: Club 218 contains a number of young Republicans, among them a lobbyist for Boeing, Erin Book, who works for Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal.