Pelosi, Snow slam critics: 'Silly story' (TONY TRIES TO ACCOMODATE NANCY'S DESIRE FOR A BIGGER RIDE)

SFGate.com ^ | Thursday, February 8, 2007 | Edward Epstein, Chronicle Washington Bureau

[Chi-townChief]

(02-08) 09:45 PST WASHINGTON D.C. -- A political odd couple, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and White House spokesman Tony Snow, today slammed critics of Pelosi's bid to use a government plane that can fly her nonstop between Washington and her home district in San Francisco.

"This is a silly story, and I think it's been unfair to the speaker,'' Snow told reporters.

E-mail Edward Epstein at eepstein@sfchronicle.com.

[Arizona Carolyn]

I was kind of thinking the same thing.

[pookie18]

Had just picked it up before I saw your comment...will rerun in Today's Toons 2/13/07.

[dforest]

Nancy lies, Bush administration keels and cries.

[Political Junkie Too]

I'm late to the discussion, but here's my take:

Speaker or not, Pelosi only received 148,435 votes to win here seat. Compare that to Feinstein (who ran a statewide campaign), who won 5,076,289 votes; or Boxer, who won 6,995,728 votes.

President Bush won over 50,000,000 votes.

Should a person who won less that 150,000 votes really command such extravagances? If she want better accomodatons, let her run a wider campaign and win the support of more Americans.

-PJ

[Fudd Fan]

Thanks for being The Voice Of Reason here. Some of the posts are unbelievable.

[linn37]

I think she should get the same one Hastert used. I don't think the WH gets a say in the matter. So why not be polite about the matter.

[narby]

Good Cop, Bad Cop.

Let the Pentagon play the bad cop, while the White House intercedes with good cop, and gets legislative concessions from Pelosi.

Like making sausage, no one ever said that government was pretty.

[Fudd Fan]

BINGO!

[Fudd Fan]

Bet you can leap tall buildings with a single bound, since you take leaps of logic like that.

[Fudd Fan]

Nice to see you around, Pukin.

[jocko12]

Where do I get my free use of my tax paying airplane.

[DCPatriot]

Why don't you entertain us all with what exactly the press secretary to the sitting Republican president of the United States should have said about the Number 3 in the line of succession with regard to this story?

That her plane...the same type Hastert rides...will refuel at military bases...and that there is sufficient security on hand to accomodate Madam Pelosi?

[leilani]

You're right. Only I can't figure out if some freepers are just knee-jerking on this story or it's merely their lack of familiarity with the crazy way Washington politics works which prevents them from grasping what's actually gone on with this hilarious 'contretemps'.

The whole country now knows about a story the MSM, other than a few lone outlets, had steadfastly refused to pick up until Tony Snow called it silly. In trying to help out Pelosi by saying "see, even Tony Snow says it's ok", the MSM just got rope-a-doped into finally committing into print that the speaker & her cronies had threatened to take away money for the troops unless she got her Flying Palace! Pretty smart, I'd say. (Maybe Karl Rove was actually behind this?)

[MaestroLC]

This is a win-win for the White House. It can publicly deplore the controversy while silently enjoying it.

Good point. Sometimes the smoke gets in my eyes and I don't see the big picture.

Murtha killed Queen Pelosi when he threatened to de-fund our defense. Now both those clowns look like whining kids not getting their candy and WH the adult.

[Finalapproach29er]

Appeasing evil never works.

Bush will be Impeached before he leaves. Mark these words.

[DCPatriot]

Bush will be Impeached before he leaves. Mark these words.

Uh-huh...and other great moments on crack!

[Finalapproach29er]

If R's had any brains, they'd be defining Pelosi the way the turned Gingrich into a monster before he even took office.

They should be painting her as a spoiled limosine liberal hypocrite.

This whacko should be a national joke by now; instead, her approval is up to 49% and climbing while the republicans make nice.

Stupid.

[Howlin]

Now, that would have been a good answer, followed by howls from the press..........LOL.

[lilylangtree]

WWWWhhhhaaaatttt????

[Pukin Dog]

The bottom line, is that by giving Pelosi the same aircraft that Hastert used, they are being completely fair.

The media is trying to assert that the White House didnt want to give Pelosi any aircraft at all.

By answering the way he did, Pelosi gets to stew in her own juices, with nothing left to use to attack the Administration.

It is probably that the Pentagon leaked the story to the media, and it was ignored, then they let Murtha rope-a-dope himself into where we are now, where Pelosi not dare mention the 757 again.