I can only conclude you believe Peloise didn’t know what she was requesting. For a SAR to back-peddle the larger aircraft (when a smaller one would do) is funny.
Being third in the line of succession does give her request some more weight in this age. It is unlikely but not inconceivable that the pilots on the plane with get a call from air traffic control that something terrible has happened and the plane with be immediately called Air Force One. Some type of widespread terror attack would mean that she needs to be sworn in on the long flight back to Washington and have the staff and facilities to take immediate control. I am sure that the Secret Service and the military plan for such a contingency before every flight so it would make sense to have a plane that is well-suited for it.
What part of, a seasoned Congressman didn’t know what she was requesting don’t you get? You wish me to believe she doesn’t know what the former speaker flew in? She’s the green-queen. Her job is to make green happen. Or is that all political hype?
And yet, it’s what he did. We go back to his released statement. Are you calling that into question? Do you have evidence that she strong armed him?
You mean a smaller, fast, agile jet like a G-III. You’re doing the wagon thing. The more the wagons circle, the bigger a deal it becomes.
The part I don’t get is where you keep saying Pelosi requested that, when she never made any such request at any point in time. Pelosi did not make any request to use a different plane. Your own White House confirms this. Why are you even trying to push this angle at this point? Who do you expect to convince?
Do you have evidence she’s an idiot? Give it up for what it is. What are the odds that she will attend a green event in the next 2 weeks?
Hell, then what does Bush need with that 747 for then? He should have just a small agile G-III.
You have this completely mixed up. The Sergeant at Arms wanted Pelosi’s transportation to be non-stop. The plane that Hastert flew in was deemed, by him, unsuitable for that purpose, though Pelosi has stated that her request was then to fly commercial, like she had always done before, the Sergeant at Arms did not want that. Which part of this are you having trouble with?
You’re just flailing about for a point now in the hope that something sticks.
Why do you continue to insist, inaccurately, that Pelosi requested anything? The House Sgt. at Arms is on record as declaring that the request for the California-based Pelosi to use a plane with a 3000-mile range (instead of the 2000-mile-range plane that the Illinois-based Hastert used) came from him, not from Pelosi.
And in any case, why would Pelosi’s traveling in a larger plane due to security concerns make her either a hypocrite or a liar on environmental issues? Environmentalists are concerned about reducing human environmental impacts overall, but we don’t have some kind of draconian code that says that every individual action of people’s lives must be performed in the most eco-friendly way possible. Nancy Pelosi is not required to make her cross-country trips in a carbon-neutral biodiesel recycled VW Bus in order to safeguard her pro-environment credentials.
Um, you think that Shagnasty is participating in a “Democratic wagon-circling”? Shagnasty?! Dude, you’re floundering in desperation here.
Not to play junior mod or anything, but are you guys allowed to talk like that in here?
And I bid you all good night. I’m off to the farthest reaches of town my 37 mpg eonobox. Hey, somebody’s gotta consesrve fuel.
No, but I’m not one to say thank you sir, may I have another. I did try to inject a little humor in the return volley.
I am a libertarian/conservative and I don’t even own a wagon. Somebody took down the wrong plates.
I just thought that it is a legitimate national security concern. LBJ had to be sworn in on board Air Force One after Kennedy was shot. If something happens while she is on the left coast, that is a long flight back to Washington and the circumstances leading up to those events will definitely require immediate leadership and a way to do it.
Moderator’s Warning: Frostillicus and Magiver, personal insults in Great Debates are not permitted.
Dude, I’m not a fan of cutting Pelosi much slack, but I think you’re way off base here. She is the Speaker of the House. She lives 2,500 miles away from D.C. She should be able to fly back and forth non-stop, especially when you take the post-9/11 security into account. Now IF she had asked for the larger plane and the C-20 can easily make the trip (which is still unclear), then she or someone who has spoken for her deserves to be slapped. But that doesn’t see to be the case here. And to bring up the conservation issue seems like you’re reaching. It works for Streisand and others who yammer about the environment and then fly from one 7,000 square foot house to another on a private jet. That’s hypocritical. Pelosi may be guity of somehting similar in her personal life, but NOT in this case.
magellan01, the voice of sanity. 
Wow, I’m actually embarrassed for those trying to make hay out of this one. This is from the side that brought us the Swift Boaters and “Al Gore claimed he invented the Internet?” A shadow of their former glory. It’s like watching your neighbor’s “special” kid furiously swinging a Wiffle bat when the ball is lying on the lawn 20 feet behind him.
Beyond the fact that a C-20 has a range of 4,000 miles, how does a fuel stop constitute a security issue?
This isn’t a big deal, it’s not even a deal, it’s just a politician with her hand in the cookie jar of perks. In this case, the perk makes it difficult to promote a a political platform of fuel efficiency and reduced emissions. Thus the entertainment value, which is enhanced with attempts to downplay it.
Put another way, any attempt by Democrats to justify a bigger jet removes it from future political fodder against Republicans. The annointed ones from both parties thank you for your continued support of their perks (at taxpayer expense).
You have noted by now that she did not ask for that “perk”, that she said she would gladly take commercial flights, and that this is 100% the work of the House Sergeant-At-Arms?
Have you missed those facts somehow, or are you just ignoring them? I’m really baffled.
Dude, she is not asking for a bigger jet. She just wants to make the trip non-stop, which is a very reasonable security caution. IF fhat can be done with the same or a similar sized jet, then that’s fine. And, as others have already pointed out, you can’t just use the maximum range of a jet-- you typically need a significant buffer in case the plane gets diverted or has to dump fuel. In Pelosi’s case, she might well have to stay aloft for some time if there is concern about an attack on the US.