Wounded Osprey

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And then there are the nickel-and-dime problems that many in the Pentagon say shouldn't be cropping up in a planned $38 billion program on the verge of production by Bell Helicopter and the Boeing Co. The doors on each $83 million craft are difficult to open, the interiors lack hand grips so that passengers can safely move about the cabin in flight, and the heating and cooling systems can't maintain comfortable cabin temperatures. In the hot confines of the cabin, Pentagon testers noted, Marines will have to drink a lot of water to be ready to fight, which highlights another shortcoming: the V-22 has no toilet facilities.

Despite these concerns, Marine officers say, the Pentagon was well on its way to approving full-scale production. Then a December Osprey crash killed four Marines and, a month later, disclosures about the fudged records put that decision on hold. For now, the Pentagon's 12 Ospreys remain grounded.

It was more than a decade ago that Dick Cheney, who was then running the Pentagon, tried to kill the program because of its high price tag. But the corps and its allies on Capitol Hill waged war against him and won. Now a new battle over the Osprey looms. If Vice President Cheney decides to wage war again, this time he will come far better armed.