Calling bull on ABC News & Time magazine’s apologists for Pelosi
Photoshop credit: Bucktown Dusty
Lazy, lazy, lazy. Bull, bull, bull.
Time’s Karen Tumulty cites ABC News to prove that critics of Diva Pelosi’s air travel are blowing smoke. Both outlets pooh-pooh the controversy as old. ABC News, citing the JW release, shrugs that the e-mails were “from early in her tenure as speaker.”
It’s obvious that neither Tumulty nor ABC News read through the entire trove of documents. Instead, they rely on Judicial Watch’s press release — which included highlights, but obviously not all, of what was included in the FOIA request.
As I reported (yeah, we can do that, too, MSM), one of the most notable e-mail exchanges I found in the docs (which was not spotlighted in JW’s release, but could be found by anyone who actually clicked through on JW’s site to the actual records) dealt with Pelosi’s absurd demand in December 2008 (that’s just three months ago, not “early in her tenure”) that the military move her jet from San Francisco airport to Travis Air Force base (where she had “business” and where she just so happens to have a country home nearby in Napa 30 minutes away!) Queen Pelosi didn’t want to drive 1.5 hours. She demanded that the military come to her. DoD officials pointed out that this had never been done before — not even for the Defense Secretary.
Yet ABC News asserts that JW’s document release “doesn’t seem to prove the organization’s allegation that Pelosi has made ‘unprecedented demands’ for the flights.”
Let me repeat what I reported, since Time and ABC News missed it the first time around:
Three months ago, turmoil erupted over Queen Nancy’s demand for the military to reposition her plane to fly out of Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, Calif., closer to where she had “business,” instead of San Francisco Airport/SFO (1.5 hours away). A special air missions official wrote: “We have never done this in the past. The deal is…that the Speaker shuttle is from DC to SFO and back. We will not reposition. We do not reposition for convenience even for the SECDEF. It is not [too] far of a drive from Travis to SFO. Did the escort suggest to the Speaker that this is ok? If so, I hope you guys correct them immediately. If you agree with me that I am correct, then you need to stay strong and present the facts to the Speaker’s office.”
Another official stated bluntly: “We can’t reposition the airplane such a short distance. It is not a judicial use of the asset. It is too expensive to operate the jet when there is truly no need to do so.”
A beleaguered colleague responded: “[Y]ou know I understand and feel with you…but, this is a battle we are bound to lose if we tell the speaker office. In the end, this is what will happen…I wish that I could say this is a one-time request, but we know it will probably happen again in the future.”
In the end, the military won that battle. But a few days later, Pelosi was back with a new demand: that her military plane taking her from DC to San Francisco make a stop in New Jersey to bring her and three Democrats to an “innovation Forum” at Princeton University involving 21 participants and no audience. A Gulfstream jet was secured for the important “official business.”
But who am I to actually read the documents and refuse to swallow the MSM Kool-Aid? If Time and ABC News tell me there’s nothing there, there’s nothing there.
***
Will these whitewashers respond? Or will they ignore the truth to curry favor with N-Pelo?
See what others have said
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Trackbacks
- For Obama, Pelosi “Spring Break” Means Your Tax Dollars Fund the Trip: Even if You’re Unemployed « Peace and Freedom Global Future
- Time Magazine and ABC trying to defend and downplay Botox Pelosi’s abuse of military aircraft | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
- Wonder What’s On Her Rider? | American Princess
- (Hot) Air Pelosi-Update « Patriot Burr
- What if it was Sarah who made Hillary’s trip? « Jim Blazsik
- Wizbang
- Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: Is Pelosi getting a bad rap on her use of military flights?
- Welcome to the gulag, Comrade « Mark Epstein
- Air Pelosi? Uh, not so much… :: Swampland - TIME.com
- Jeremiah Films
- Maxine Waters Helped Steer Bailout Funds to Bank With Family Ties « Peace and Freedom Global Future
- links for 2009-03-13 | FullosseousFlap's Dental Blog
- “Get my @!*%$#^ plane now!” « Stalag Seventeen
- A new take on the Pelosi plane flap | skewred.com
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HOW TO START EACH DAY WITH A POSITIVE OUTLOOK
1. Open a new file in your computer.
2. Name it ‘Barack Obama’.
3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
5. Your PC will ask you: ‘Do you really want to get rid of ‘Barack Obama?’
6. Firmly Click ‘Yes.’
7. Feel better?
GOOD! – Tomorrow we’ll do Nancy Pelosi
1) Dude, it is entirely obvious I was kidding.
2) I didn’t go to an Ivy League law school.
chappabrain says,
How about this genius, if the msm, academia, hollyweird and the print media were honest, we wouldn’t remember ever having a democrat party.
And Clinton’s legacy among presidents is higher than Bush because he was impeached and Bush wasn’t! Let’s not forget Carter, the jew-hating ex prez.
Can’t fault you too much though, after all you weren’t really educated all those years you spent in school, young chap.
Haha. I needed a good laugh today.
I tried it, though, and it asked if I wanted to “delete” Barack Obama instead of “get rid” of him, so instead I went to my command prompt and typed in, “Barack Obama doesn’t want to destroy America,” and it came back with “error”.
Interesting…
Not only are you a smart-a$$, but you are an equal part dum-a$$. Funny that Disney won’t release “The Path to 9/11″, I guess they’re afraid those that missed it the first time will actually see how incompetent dems and your hero bill clinton really are.
See a trend chap? Dem presidents citizenship not revealed, dem prez’s incompetence completely buried buy the media. How does it feel to be an idiotic, moronic lib?
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=91443
Chap, do you get an Air Force G5 when you go to RI. Just wondering.
BTW #2 is entirely obvious as well. Just kidding.
It helps me get through your posts without wanting to slit my wrists, for starters.
Ha. That was good.
To hell with her. There’s military flights going all over the country 24 hours a day, she can “grab a hop” like the rest of us. I’ve often said that when the Military gets its budget cut the first thing to go should be those damn “VC” (VIP/Cargo) aircraft.
As far as I’m concerned if riding home in the back of a semi-pressurized unheated Vietnam era C-130 sitting on a pallet of mailbags is good enough for a US Fighting man it’s more than good enough for a lowly congressman. Besides, Nancy will look right at home on that pallet with all those other old bags.
Um…what was the topic again? Oh, right, lazy media’s lack of full disclosure which results in misleading the minds of the public. That’s what topic is.
(insert the appropriately)
Please don’t let me stop you from fulfilling your lib destiny.
For those of you who can get it, Michelle is being interviewed right now on Roger Hedgecock’s show.
No no. My lib destiny is to bleed you dry.
Topic? We don need no steenking topic.
They don’t have as many readers or viewers as you do ^_*
A teenage werewolf?
I’m going to start hanging around with you so I can snare a rebound or two!!!
Oh, wait. I forgot, that’s on the list of things my wife won’t let me do. I never stray from the list.
Nicely done.
Excellent work Michelle.
Your work ethic and editorial skills are obviously far superior to those of the dying mainstream media. Well done and thank you for practicing journalism as it should be.
On March 12th, 2009 at 5:41 pm, ITookTheRedPill said: (#87)
Not necessarily. I’m pretty darned conservative (with occasional libertarian moments), and I majored in International Affairs. Doesn’t mean that I believe in a global government. Sometimes you have to study a field to know where it is wrong.
This is why the US is in the trouble that it is. We have spoiled political leaders to the point, that they, D or R, can do whatever they want and not worry about the cost. I thought we elected you to listen to us, but now days it is not for the people that you serve but for what makes you looks good and not spend your own money for a half butt job, working part time and getting life time benefits.
I, again, would like to ask:
Why is it that Her Royal Heinous, Nanci Pelosi, requires the United States Military to ferry her and her entire family around on military aircraft? If it is to protect her and keep her safe, then what is it, EXACTLY, she feels she needs to be protected and kept safe from?
According to all the Liberals “in the know” such as Michael Moore, Madonna, Charlie Sheen and any number of miscellaneous Hollywood types as well as several well placed and high up Senators and Congressmen, there is no such thing as a “War on Terror”, there is no such thing as a “Terrorist Threat”, Muslims do not hate us, Islam is a peaceful, fun loving, open and honest religion where murder, suicide and oppression of women, Christians and anyone else who does not practice their religion is strictly prohibited by their faith, and the biggest threat to this country, George W. Bush, is no longer the President and thus, effectively removed as a credible threat.
Is there something that she and the rest of the Democrats know that we don’t? Is there something that they are not telling us about the state of our airlines and airspace that would make her flying on a regular commercial airline a serious threat to her health, life and well being and that of her daughter, son-in-law, grandchild and anyone else she feels the need to ferry all over the world on tax payer money?
Do they not say that our airports do not require all the safety precautions, that those that have been placed by the Bush Administration go too far, are far too intrusive and inconvenient, and would that not be because there is no threat etc.?
There seems to be quite a bit of hypocrisy here on the part of Her Heinous, the MSM, the Democrats and Liberals in general.
If commercial air travel is safe enough for everyone else in this country, then why the hell is it not safe enough for her? After all, the issue with the Muslims were all due to Bush and his policies. According to the Liberals, Obama is this country’s saviour, the whole world loves him, his policies are near god-like and Muslims LOVE Liberals and their beliefs.
So tell me…why should she still be on any United States Military Aircraft at all, let alone anything that is better than that which our men and women in uniform either going to or returning from hostile fronts, are forced to fly on? If she is that worried, she should be chartering her own, personal, aircraft from a private source, funded from her own budget, eliminating the slightest potential for anyone to know where and when she is flying and removing any issues she and her staff seem to have with the tax payer funded military transports she receives now, without so much as a “Thank You”.
Because it is paid for with “free” money and she believes that it is her right to save her money and only spend ours so frivolously?
It’s called paranoia. Plus, an inflated ego problem. You see that in leaders who are egomanics. History is full of them.
The topic is:
Pelosi and the MSM want you to believe that Pelosi is acting no differently than her Republican predecessor.
Michelle very appropriately calls BS!
While I certainly don’t think that Speaker Hastert was pure as the driven snow, it appears that Hastert used the jet privilege very responsibly, while Speaker Pelosi has not.
It appears that Hastert used a Gulstream III, and requested it only when needed to fly to his home district.
It appears that Pelosi was given use of the same type of jet, a Gulfstream III, and she became livid when forced to make a refuelling stop.
Now, I actually don’t think it’s wrong for Pelosi to request a larger jet in order to make the trip non-stop.
What is wrong is for her to lie and act like she never requested a larger jet.
What is wrong is for her to say “I never requested a larger jet”.
What is wrong is for her to say “It’s not a jet, it’s a RIDE on a jet” (implying that the jet is not “hers”, she is merely taking a “ride” on someone else’s jet) but then act like the jet really is exclusively for her (when the jet is not available, she throws a hissy fit).
Pelosi appears to reserve the Gulfstream V (which is “a larger jet” than the Gulfstream III) EVERY WEEKEND, just to make sure that it is there for her when she wants it.
The Air Force staff are clearly not happy with her practice of doing so. A lot of resources are dedicated to getting the plane and crew of 5 ready, and then Pelosi cancels.
Pelosi is wasting our national resources so that she can have the equivalent of her own private corporate jet.
It certainly appears that Pelosi originally did request a much larger plane:
But then “settled for” an only slightly larger plane (the C-37 Gulstream V is only slightly larger than the C-20 Gulstream III, but it has a significantly longer range and can make the D.C. to SFO trip non-stop).
And, as others have duly noted, the “for security reasons” excuse is B.S.! Pelosi is only supposed to have the plane for travel to her home district, so what about Pelosi’s “security” when she has to fly elsewhere? Does she fly commercial, or does she get “friends” to loan her the use of their jets?
On March 12th, 2009 at 10:36 pm, Kevin K. said:
Kevin, I agree with you. The key word in my quote was “often”. I’m speaking of organizations like the Council on Foreign Relations and The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where Michelle Obama sits on the board.
Oh, now I understand….
…means Pelosi, like all of us, doesn’t like to go through security lines when flying commercially.
So she prefers to fly on the private jet “for security reasons”.
Nancy Pelosi is one of the wealthiest members of Congress. She owns vineyards that are non-union so that she does not have to foot the bill of services for her employees, most of whom are illegal aliens. She pushed legislation in California so that she would not be responsible for them even if they get hurt during work, that is the job of the taxpayers. There is no reason why the Baltimore Mafia Princess cannot buy her own jet and pay for her own travel.
frontierguy,
Indeed.
Instead of focusing on Servant Leadership,
Pelosi focuses on Power and having others serve her.
That is possibly the single biggest truth exposed by these emails.