F-22 In The Balance

With the Obama administration lobbying furiously, a key Senate vote is scheduled for this afternoon. Quoth Larry Korb:

The Senate needs to heed the advice of our civilian and uniformed leaders in the Defense Department and end production of the F-22. Since Gates has drawn a red line on this, if the Senate overrules him, it will be hard for him to be an effective Secretary of Defense during the rest of his tenure.

Stay tuned.

Update: Down she goes, 58-40. John Kerry, who had been making pro- F-22 noises last week, wound up siding with Gates and Obama. A call from Joe Biden to Daniel Inouye wasn't enough to sway the Hawaiian, though. Full roll call here.

--Michael Crowley