The Insider: Gregoire was ready for bad news on tankers

THE PERILS OF E-MAIL: When the Government Accountability Office announced that it supported Boeing's tanker protest on Wednesday, a host of politicians quickly fired off their reactions to reporters' inboxes.

Gov. Chris Gregoire, on the Boeing side, was delighted.

"I was confident the GAO would agree with Boeing's appeal," Gregoire's statement said.

But, not so confident.

She had two announcements ready to go, depending on what the GAO said. That's a common practice among politicians. Even news outlets sometimes prepare two versions of articles.

But when the GAO news came out, someone in the Gregoire camp sent out the wrong version. It was recalled within one minute, and the proper e-mail landed six minutes later.

We feel the pain -- perfection and speed often are at odds.

But since we know, here's what the governor would have said if Boeing had lost the protest:

"This is disappointing news for Boeing and the entire state of Washington. Like many Washingtonians, I still can't believe our own federal government awarded a multibillion-dollar contract to a foreign company. Not only will thousands of jobs go overseas, but senior Air Force officials now admit that the Airbus tanker is more costly to build and operate than its Boeing counterpart. This is simply mind boggling at a time of national economic concerns and soaring gas prices. I will continue to work with our congressional delegation and my fellow governors to demand further explanation.

"In the meantime, Boeing has, does and will continue to play a strong role in Washington state's economy. While the company deserved the Air Force contract, without it, Boeing will remain the best manufacturer of airplanes in the world."

GETTING YOURS: In this political season there's lots of talk among candidates about taxing the rich.

What most Americans are asking, though, is, How do I get rich?

And what do I do when I become rich? There must be a lot more to being rich than accumulating obscene amounts of wealth. Where to live? What jet or yacht to buy? What private school and spendy college to send the progeny to?

To help the aspiring wealthy among us, there's a new guide through such vexing questions: "The Filthy Rich Handbook (How the Other .0001% Lives)," by Christopher Tennant.

Not surprisingly, Seattle and Seattleites are well represented in the book. Well, not Seattle exactly. Medina, for example, is included in the section titled "A Discriminating Guide to Filthy Rich Enclaves," termed "America's premier technocrat haven." Paul Allen may get more ink than Bill Gates, thanks to such splurges as the submarine-equipped yacht. The San Juans are included in "Filthy Rich Migration Patterns." There are also mentions of the Seattle Yacht Club, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Lakeside School and the divorce settlement of Craig and Wendy McCaw (under the heading, "How the Other Half Leaves").

Tennant, who is in Seattle this week for a book promotion tour, is asked in a press release if there's a "keeping up with the Gateses" mentality among the filthy rich.

"There certainly is," he answers. "Inherited wealth aside, the Filthy Rich are an insanely ambitious and competitive breed. Which is part of why they're filthy rich."

PLEASE HEED THE UNAVOIDABLE: It's possible you've been ignoring the bottom of the plastic bins into which you put your shoes, laptop or backpack as you pass through airport security. But SecurityPoint Media LLC, of St. Petersburg, Fla., aims to change that.

Now there are ads there, and the ads are 3-D. If you'd be so kind as to notice the ads before flinging your stuff into the bin, you'd see they do seem to rise up off the bottom.

The 3-D "delivers a wow factor and is a fun option," said SecurityPoint President Joseph Ambrefe in a prepared release.

The company's SecureTrays are in use on a trial basis at Sea-Tac Airport and 13 others around the country. Online shoe seller Zappos.com is the bins' exclusive advertiser at 13 of the 14 airports, including Sea-Tac.

SecurityPoint says bin advertising lets companies "reach this elusive, upscale audience because it delivers unavoidable impressions and unparalleled reach."

So next time you fly, try paying some attention to the unavoidable, won't you?