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No Left Turns

Nancy Pelosi: do as I say, not as I do?

Sorry for poaching on Steve’s turf, but this is hard to resist: Nancy Pelosi travels around D.C. in one of the worst gas guzzler/greenhouse gas emitters. Will someone build that woman a stretch Prius?

And while we’re at it, let’s not forget her request for access to a big USAF jet for trips to and from the Bay Area, a request that the Pentagon seems prepared to deny, at least as a matter of routine.

To be fair, the SUVs belong to the Capitol Police, which also uses them to ferry around Republicans. But as Richard Miniter notes, they’re not making pronouncements about global warming.

Hat tips: Power Line, which also calls our attention to this editorial, and SDP.

Update: Tony Snow thinks it’s a tempest in a teapot. I still want to see the stretch Prius.

Discussions - 16 Comments

Joe:

Poach all you want on this one. Haven’t you heard? I’m a climate criminal, too. Watch for the Weekly Standard tomorrow night; I’ll have my lengthy smackdown of this ludicrous story.

Meanwhile, I’m looking up from old news files the story of how Nixon flew first class on United out to San Clemente duing the energy crisis of 1973, to save fuel. Why can’t Nancy just act like Nixon? Oh, wait. . .

A) I love how the term "sexist" is immediately implied (and then of course denied by her camp) simply because Mrs. Pelosi is a she. Ugh - isn’t feminism ultimately about NOT having to play the female card???

B) I don’t clearly understand how a larger plane that could fly non-stop East to West Coast is more "secure" than a smaller plane that may have to refuel along the way. If it is an Air Force plane, would it not have to refuel at an Air Force base (just like Air Force One - hello) which is going to go through extra security precautions for her presence anyway? If not at an air force base, couldn’t refueling occur by an Air Force in-flight refueler? I would think any aircraft COULD reach California, even at some minor inconvenience to Mrs. Pelosi.

In air travel, we’ve all traded convenience for security. And, of course, if it’s (relative) convenience she’s after, NP should have remained minority leader.

Tony Snow’s free pass for Nancy Pelosi is yet another example of the milquetoast, country-club Republicanism that dominates our party at the federal level. The White House is not only an object of attack, but an object of hatred, to the Democratic leadership. And in return, it keeps turning the other cheek. If I were a Democratic leader, I would pinch myself every day. They are remarkably fortunate to have such wusses as their (supposed) adversaries.

Here are some comments on hypocrisy from one of your fellow No Left Turns bloggers that you might find pertinent to the Pelosi scandal:

"It is a particularly disgusting habit of the human mind that propels it to dismiss virtue because of some perceived hypocrisy on the part of virtue’s defenders. What is worse is the childish delight some characters seem to take in the public unveiling of such hypocrisy" - Julie Ponzi; May, 2003

"But here we go down the whole ’hypocrisy’ route again. Liberals love to salivate over the shortcomings of conservatives when conservatives don’t measure up to the high standards they set for themselves. But I’ll say it again . . . it’s better to aim high and fall hard than to aim low and reach your goals." - Julie Ponzi 11/4/06

Joe, are you sure that Pelosi doesn’t own a hybrid car for her personal, at-home vehicle? If the answer was yes, would that have prevented this blog-post of yours?

So, since the SUV thing is a non-issue (ALL Congresspersons get hauled around in those specially-outfitted trucks), and it was the sergeant-at-arms who told Pelosi to take the big plane, as Hastert used to, isn’t this just a case of hyper-partisan grasping at straws on the part of Rich Miniter (of Pajamas "Media") and co.? It was especially slippery for him to refer to the SUV as though it is the personal property of Pelosi. It isn’t.

Lesson here is that if FoxNewsHound Tony Snow is letting it slide, that means it’s a non-starter.

Let me rephrase that:

The lesson here, for those on the Right, is that if FoxNewsHound Tony Snow is letting it slide, that means it’s a non-starter.

But, but, but... um, hypocrisy! Um... derrrr... Nancy Pelosi bad... Craig Scanlon wrong... derrrrrr....

Craig,

Hastert used a small plane, not a big one. And the issue of Members of Congress being ferried around in Tahoes ought to be something that a hyper-environmentally sensitive majority takes by the horns. NP’s defenders have to deflect her responsibility in these matters by suggesting that it’s always her (non-partisan) handlers who are calling the shots. Those non-partisan handlers report to her.

I don’t know how a story can be more thoroughly discredited than this.

From the House Sergeant-at-Arms:

"For Immediate Release

February 8, 2007

As the Sergeant at Arms, I have the responsibility to ensure the security of the members of the House of Representatives, to include the Speaker of the House. The Speaker requires additional precautions due to her responsibilities as the leader of the House and her Constitutional position as second in the line of succession to the presidency.

In a post 9/11 threat environment, it is reasonable and prudent to provide military aircraft to the Speaker for official travel between Washington and her district. The practice began with Speaker Hastert and I have recommended that it continue with Speaker Pelosi. 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. This will ensure communications capabilities and also enhance security. I made the recommendation to use military aircraft based upon the need to provide necessary levels of security for ranking national leaders, such as the Speaker. I regret that an issue that is exclusively considered and decided in a security context has evolved into a political issue."

If that’s all it took, why the push-back described in this article?

Pelosi is entitled to a jet that will get her to the Bay Area as conveniently as possible, a big one if she needs it and it’s available, the smaller one if that’s all there is. And if she insists on traveling commercial, who are her employees to thwart her wishes?

8: Craig, no serious conservative takes his or her lead from presidential spokesmen. Their job is to make the president look good and keep him out of trouble. Our job is to fight the left.

This is a shameful and lame attempt to attack Pelosi, because people here are still sore about the election. It is groundless. The request for the plane came from the sergeant-at-arms, not Pelosi, just as it did back when Hastert held that office.

I raised questions, and suggested a little hypocrisy, certainly rather mild fare for the internet, yet I stand accused of a "shameful and lame attempt to attack Pelosi" (by "Claremont Escapee") and of having engaged in a "shameless hack attack" by no less than "Socrates." If that’s what a milquetoast like me gets, what do you have left for the folks on Free Republic or some of the less restrained conservative sites?

15: I would suggest that to a certain (common) leftist mind, ALL expressions of conservative viewpoint are a scandal, and all criticisms of leftists and liberals are "shameless attacks."

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