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Friday, February 9, 2007

Pelosi Wants a Bigger PonyPlane

2/09/2007 05:13:00 AM 6 comments

There has been a bit of a controversy concerning Speaker Nancy Pelosi wanting a bigger plane for security reasons. Apparently, she does not want to stop for refueling on her weekly flights from Washington, DC to San Fransisco, California, and back.


Her current plane is a military version of a Gulfsteam III called a C-20B, that is the same type of plane used by former Speaker Denny Hastert


From the AirForce Fact Sheets page, the range is as follows:


 Range: C-20B, 4,250 miles (3,698 nautical miles) long-range; C-20H, 4,850 miles (4,220 nautical miles) long range

The plane she wants is a modified Boeing 757 called a C-32, and its' range is as follows:

Range: 5,500 nautical miles unrefueled range

She wants to upgrade to flying a plane equivalent to Air Force Two.

I listened all day to various talk shows as they discussed the story as part of the stories each show was following. On my commute home, I listened to Michael Reagan, who had special insight to the story due to his father being President for 8 years.

According to Michael Reagan, when family members fly on government aircraft, they are charged coach rates for their seats, and pay for the food served to them as well. Staff Members are also charged the same rates. The only exceptions are spouses, who only fly free if attending a public function as part of protocol.

Also the President is also charged for his meals at the White House by The Park Service, who operates The White House.

When attending fundraisers or other events not a public function, the event organizers are charged for the flight, and several are usually planned the same day to lessen the burden on any one event.

From Glenn Beck:
The C-32 costs $300,000 one way from Washington, DC to San Fransisco to operate, and puts out 10,000 lbs an hour more than the C-20B...so the round trip would result in 50 tons more CO2 emissions than the C-20B each week she returned home to her district.

I think what rankles, is the 'Culture of Corruption' meme that is exposed as just a means to get elected...she wants her family and friends to fly free.

The issue is discussed on these sites:

Military Photos

Media Matters

Hot Air

John Lott's Website

BlogCritics

AutoBlogGreen

Wizbang, with links to Think Progress.

UPDATE


Instapundit

Bearing Drift

6 comments :

If you keep working at it, maybe the Right Wing Noise Machine will give you a special button for all your efforts!

Go ahead and rail about Pelosi's plane. There's a war going on that the Republicans refuse to openly debate on the floor of the Senate. The WATB Republicans who abused power for years are now crying when Pelosi wants a bigger plane?

Well I guess those Republicans better get off their asses and spearhead some substantive ethics reform. Oh wait, the Democrats already did...after only a month in power. Funny, isn't it? The Republicans had years and years and years to do so and didn't.

It's almost like they don't want to behave ethically and are now using a non-story as a media driven wedge to rally red-meat partisans like yourself.

You go, boy!

I'm sorry Screwy, but I never made a comment one way or the other about how I felt, and I did link to both sides of the issue.

I am still a little unsure, except for the part about where she wants her family, friends, and staff to ride for free. If they all paid coach like everyone else, and billed the entire California delegation as flying on the same plane to lessen environmental impact...I could go along with it.

Right...

You're just 'concerned'.

Me? I'm cool with Bush and Cheney and the whole White House gang using taxpayer dollars to go to their campaign events in 2004. It's one of the perks of the office, IMHO.

And when the Sergeant-at-Arms requests a plane for the Speaker of the House, I'm nonplussed.

I don't believe you really read the articles I linked to.

The campaign events they attended paid for the use of the airplanes...just like when The First Lady came to Asheville. If there were anything to the charges...that would be impeachable, and all I have seen in the court system are fishing expeditions that never charge anyone under the original charges. Never.

The Bush Administration has been so ethical in its conduct, that the only thing anyone can get is Scooter Libby lying about something not related to the original charges. Unlike the Clinton Administration, which was riddled with convictions from top to bottom, prison time, and a few deaths thrown in for spice.
For all my disagreements with President Bush on Illegal Immigration, the Increased Size of Government and all, he has been remarkably honest.

And about the Sgt-at-arms...the currentC-20B can fly non-stop cross country. It is only just under 2500 miles from DC to San Fran, and she has requested her family fly free.

The Security Reason is a completely Bogus charge...since the plane refuels at Air Force bases anyway, and she will be able to stay aboard to avoid contact with redstaters. . Unless, she wants the countermeasures suite that is included on the C-32, to avoid those shoulder-fired missiles that have been smuggled into the country. I assure you, they will not be used on her, they are meant for commercial traffic. Oh, and John 'ABSCAM' Murtha is an ethical one for sure. These people feel entitled due to their aristocratic thought processes.
Barely a month old, and this 'most ethical congress in history,' has had some interesting ethical problems. Tell the Dem leadership the Repubs thank them sincerely for their help in the '008 elections. In fact, I should probably send the Speaker a card thanking her, and photograph it for the blog.

Your belief that Bush is honest seems impossibly myopic.

Bush's malfeasances will all come out. Even now, the Democratic Congress is writing subpoenas for information closely guarded by the most secretive administration in U.S. History.

I'm going to stop coming over here and bugging you, TP. You seem like a very nice person, but anyone who believes that Bill Clinton was somehow a worse person than Unnecessary War Starter George W. Bush will likely be difficult to reason with.

I hold that President Clinton set the stage for our appearing weak to the jihadis, but not every President is to held blameless.

I don't believe that you have studied Islam, nor read the Qur'an, nor the Haditha, nor have lived with Muslims. I have. I am also engaged in learning Arabic (which is not proceeding well due to the whole right to left thing) so I can read stuff in the original. My limited Hebrew is helping with the speaking part, but, not as easy as French.
You are no trouble. Misguided, perhaps. Before you go...make sure you and yours do have at least a couple of weeks of necessities around in case things go south when we hit Iran.
Just as FDR recgnized Germany as the greater threat than Japan, so Bush 43 recognized that Iraq was the necessary stepping stone to Iran. And behind Iran, I see Russia and China.

No, Screwy, Life isn't fair, it's just fairer than death. (Princess Bride) which, with a little luck, we may avoid.
Remember that the United States of America is the last truly free nation on the earth, and some of us are gonna die on our feet, or in a prone firing position in my case, rather than live as dhimmis or slaves.

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