From what I got about a posted article, the idea they have of saying "You must prefer Open Source over anything else" is pretty stupid. I just want the government to go for the best price/performance ratio, and I rarely see them do that when it comes to software. They are so Microsoft-centric it's unbelievable. I've asked before why we were buying a $1,000 Windows license for a static Web or file server (as opposed to free) and just got dull stares in return.
I agree with you that these types of spending decisions should be thought through completely. All options should be carefully considered, and no supplier should be given a rubber stamp approval every time.