Wasn't it a German politician who managed to hold up the Eurofighter/Typhoon programme by suggesting that surplus Mig29s from the former East German Air Force would be a more economical and equally effective way of defending united German airspace?
Talk about spanners in works (or foot in mouth?): anything to embarrass the other party in the governmental coalition, of which the gentleman (ie, his party) is supposed to be a member.
