Gov. Mark Sanford and state and local development officials had every reason to be optimistic in February about the goal of clustering aerospace industries in the Charleston area.

They gathered in North Charleston to break ground for a major acquisition. Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. and Global Aeronautica LLC will produce and integrate fuselage structures for Boeing’s new Dreamliner passenger jet. ...

As big as the February announcement is, state officials on June 22 found themselves looking at what might have been. North Charleston was one of four Southeastern sites in the running for a $600 million Airbus factory to build refueling tankers. ...

With a gubernatorial election on the horizon in 2006, Democrats were quick to blame Sanford for letting Airbus get away. ...

Blaming the governor in such overt fashion is little more than a political pot shot.

Let’s not forget that Airbus is not the first big firm South Carolina leaders have seen select Alabama.

In 1993, during Republican Carroll A. Campbell’s second term, Mercedes chose Alabama over a site near Charleston, and in 1999, during Democrat Jim Hodges’ term, a Fiat subsidiary also bypassed Charleston in favor of Alabama. Were the governors to blame? ...

It is Gov. Sanford’s job to keep our state in the competitive mix for top-quality acquisitions that will bring quality jobs. We’re confident he will do so.

The (Orangeburg) Times and Democrats