Posted on 02/08/2007 10:58:40 AM PST by presidio9
Addressing a swarm of reporters on Capitol Hill on Thursday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to the controversy over her desire to fly in an Air Force transport plane by saying that she would have no problem flying commercially if a secure military plane is not offered.
"I have told them that I will travel cross-country, non-stop commercially as I have done and always done probably — how many times — a thousand times since I've been in Congress, so this will be nothing new to me," Pelosi said.
The White House defended the Democratic leader of the House against Republican criticism that her desire to fly in an Air Force transport plane is an extravagance.
"This is a silly story and I think it's been unfair to the speaker," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.
After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Defense Department agreed to provide the House speaker, who is second in the line of presidential succession, with a military plane for added security during trips back home.
Republicans are taking issue with the size of the plane Pelosi would need to fly in to reach her hometown across the country in California without refueling. There are three Air Force airplanes that have the fuel capacity to make the trip nonstop, with the largest being a C-32 plane, a military version of the Boeing 757-200.
In an interview with Fox News television Thursday, Pelosi speculated that Department of Defense officials were distorting the story as retribution for her stance against the war and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.
"There are probably those in the Department of Defense who are not happy with my criticism of Secretary Rumsfeld, the war in Iraq, other waste, fraud and abuse in the Defense Department, and I guess this is their way of making their voices heard," she said.
The Pentagon this week informed Pelosi's staff that she would be provided with a plane but that its size would be based on availability and that it could not guarantee nonstop service.
Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a Republican from the Midwest, flew in a small commuter-sized Air Force jet.
Pelosi said she would be happy to fly on commercial airliners but said the House sergeant-at-arms office urged her to continue Hastert's practice of using Air Force transport. She said she was informed on her first trip home that her plane would not make it across the country.
"I said well, that's fine, I'm going commercial," she told Fox News. "I'm not asking to go on that plane. If you need to take me there for security purposes, you're going to have to get a plane that goes across the country, because I'm going home to my family" in San Francisco.
Rep. Adam Putnam, the No. 3 Republican leader, called Pelosi's desire for a large transport plane "an extravagance of power that the taxpayers won't swallow."
"It's important we see what the specific request was," Putnam said.
But Snow on Thursday said the negotiations over Pelosi's transport have been conducted solely by the House sergeant-at-arms and the Pentagon, with no direct involvement by the speaker or her office — or the White House.
"I have told them that I will travel cross-country, non-stop commercially as I have done and always done probably — how many times — a thousand times since I've been in Congress, so this will be nothing new to me,"
Aww, geez... you guys happy now? Ya bunch of Conservative nit wits, bashing granny Pelosi? See what you went and did? Who'd a thought it'd come to this, now she's gonna fly commercial, with the proletariat, getting their musty odors all over her haute couture finery.
Owl_Eagle
If what I just wrote made you sad or angry,
it was probably just a joke.
Nancy, Leonardo, Charles... it seems flying commercial is the modern day equivalent to crucifixion.
Bless every one of these brave, selfless souls.
Did you see the video where Nancy complains that the Pent didn't give her a plane because she was a WOMAN??
Yikes, she is really desperate!
I'm curious as to why it needs to be a non-stop flight.
Hat tipping Rakkasan1 for the idea :)
"Pelosi: I'll Fly Commercial If I Have To"
Pelosi to flight attendant: :"Dammit!! Don't you KNOW who I am???!!!!"
Please!
She has not flown commercial in 25 years!
Oh good! The shewolf now has Tony defending her. In the meanwhile, she's trashing Rumsfeld, Defense and the military. Just pathetic.
If only our troops were so brave. /s
"I have told them that I will travel cross-country, non-stop commercially as I have done and always done probably — how many times — a thousand times since I've been in Congress, so this will be nothing new to me,"
Then what is murtha making threats about?
I pity the TSA flacky that strip-searches her . . .
This lady in on a power trip.
Speaker of the House is a very big post and she does have some perks coming to her. But, a jumbo jet bigger than that of her predecessor is just a power trip. She wants to be seen as powerful and that that power commands big perks and one of those perks should be a plane as big or close to that of the president of the U.S. Next, she's going to be insisting that the plane also be equipped with gear such as Air Force One which allows the president to virtually run an airborne White House.
That's what I thought it was about.
Then do it and STFU.
The Repubs in the House are making a big deal of this plane request on C-Span today.
so the evil right-wing haters can't sabotage the plane like they did to Wellstone...;)
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