Just a big case of "jet envy" I'd say
"GOP makes much ado about the size of Pelosi's plane
The House speaker has had the use of a government jet since the Sept. 11 attacks
(02-08) Washington -- The way Speaker Nancy Pelosi will travel home to San Francisco and on official business is the latest tempest to hit the House of Representatives.
(02-08) Washington -- The way Speaker Nancy Pelosi will travel home to San Francisco and on official business is the latest tempest to hit the House of Representatives.
The speaker of the House has been provided a jet from the government fleet to use for official business since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks because of security concerns.
Former Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert used a military 12-seat jet to carry him mainly from Washington's Andrews Air Force Base to airports near his home district in Chicago's suburbs. [..]
LOL! The righties will beat this drum until a Democrat makes a joke which they can twist into a racist remark or an insult for the troops. Another wag the dog so they can take our eyes off Iraq...
This is going to be SOP for Republicans for the next two years. They have the bloody war .. the deficit .. the treason .. the lying .. the $9 billion in missing funds. .. OMG what can we do to stop the bleeding?
NANCY WANTS A JUMBO JET! YES THAT'S IT!
Oh, and I heard on rightie radio that Pelosi attended a Madrasas when she was an embryo .. yes, I think her pregnant mother walked by one .. that surely explains why Nancy supports the terrorists and hates our freedom.....
$800 billion pissed away in Iraq and the GOP doesn't say a mumbling word, but suddenly worries about the size of Pelosi's .. plane. This whole deal is definitely orchestrated by Republicans to damage her.
If Hastert had needed to fly to CA instead of Chicago, the same Republicans would be crying National Security! .. would insist that he had a more suitable plane for the longer flight.
There already seems to be a very simple solution. Hastert had a 12-seat jet, and the article says there's a C-37 16-seat jet currently in the Air Force fleet that can fly to San Fran non-stop.
I don't think 4 extra seats is going to turn it into a lobbyist flying tour bus. It's silly that the GOP wants to whine about those 4 seats.
But, wait a minute .. if a plane that needs high security has to land to refuel, isn't this going to cost more money for a special security detail at refueling?
Look at the bottom line. What costs more, a slightly larger plane, or Secret Service having to go out to the Denver airport, background check the ground crew, inspect the fuel truck, probably have to test the fuel for tampering, station a guard, etc. .. then there's the airport fees (landing isn't free, right?) and the cost of a refueling crew.
It also takes much more fuel to land and take off again than to just stay in the air.
I'm willing to bet it costs a lot more to land in Denver to refuel than to use a slightly larger plane that the Air Force already has .. it's not like anyone has to go out and buy a brand new plane.
Speaker Pelosi insisted she has not requested a plane of any size, but rather asked about the option to fly non-stop. "That's really the issue," she said, "If they can have a plane that goes cross-country, then I'll take that plane. If they don't, I will go commercial."
I even heard that Bush himself said it is silly to be worrying about what kind of plane Nancy Pelosi uses .. Press Sec. Tony Snow said that Republican criticism was unfair and that the Bush administration sided with Pelosi.
Whoa .. hell must be gettin' ready to freeze over ....
