Pelosi's Plane Troubles

Much ado about nothing?

The crux of the story is that reports claimed Speaker Pelosi was trying to get a plane that could fly nonstop between Washington, DC and her home district in California. The various reports claimed that she refused smaller planes and/or was refused access to planes that would fly nonstop.

Much hilarity ensued, including discussions over whether Pelosi should even be flying such planes because of all the greenhouse gases that such planes spew all the while she and her Democrat cohorts lecture the rest of us on the evils of driving around in SUVs that pump out a fraction of the gas in a year that such planes make in one trip.

I didn't have a problem with Speaker Pelosi having access to a plane flying nonstop that was within reason and met her personal needs. It didn't need to be extravagant or on par with the largest planes flying in the government fleet. She deserves extra protections because of her position in the succession to the Presidency. However, it doesn't have to be gold plated.

Well, it turns out it wasn't even her idea:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi did not request a larger plane for personal use to travel cross-country without stopping, Bill Livingood, the House sergeant at arms, said Thursday.

Livingood said the request was his, and he made it for security reasons.

"The fact that Speaker Pelosi lives in California compelled me to request an aircraft that is capable of making non-stop flights for security purposes, unless such an aircraft is unavailable," Livingood, who has been at his post for 11 years, said in a written statement.

"I regret that an issue that is exclusively considered and decided in a security context has evolved into a political issue," the statement said.

Pelosi is striking back against accusations she asked for a plane larger and more expensive than the one used by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert, a claim published last week in The Washington Times.(Watch Pelosi call the GOP charges "a myth" )

The Times article, headlined "Pelosi's Power Trip -- Non-stop Nancy Seeks Flight of Fancy," led the Republican National Committee to send out a research briefing and blast Pelosi on the House floor.

The article said Pelosi asked the Pentagon for "routine access" to a military plane "not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation," quoting sources "familiar with the discussions."

"I have never asked for a larger plane," Pelosi said. "This is a myth that they are talking about on the floor."

This would also explain why the White House was quick to come out in support of Pelosi (not to mention that it helps build the relationship between the Speaker and the White House, which surely can use all the help it can get).