MRC/NB media watcher Tim Graham was interviewed on the Fox News Channel show "Hannity & Colmes" on Wednesday night on media coverage of Speaker Nancy Pelosi's request to be flown to San Francisco on (some say extravagant) military aircraft with 42 seats and a crew of 16. The other guest was former ABC News veteran Bob Zelnick. Video: Windows (2.4MB) or Real (2.86MB) Plus: MP3 (1.1 MB)
Zelnick expressed satisfaction that the story was being aired. Tim disagreed, saying the Pelosi story has not aired on ABC, NBC, NPR, and so on. (CBS aired their first story on Wednesday's Evening News.) Print coverage is also lacking: no story in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, or USA Today. The Washington Times was first on the story last week, and the Washington Post ran a small 273-word piece on A-15 on Tuesday.
Tim also said that at this point in Newt Gingrich's new job as Speaker in 1995, the networks had aired 27 stories on his $4 million book deal with HarperCollins, making Gingrich's ethics a major theme. Stories uncomfortable for Pelosi, from the plane story to the Star-Kist minimum wage exemption in American Samoa, are not being judged as newsworthy by the media powers that be.
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Figures he would sign with Ha
February 7, 2007 - 23:24 ET byFigures Newt Gingrich would sign with HarperCollins. Nancy Pelosi would fit right in there too.
Tim Graham...I caught this to
February 7, 2007 - 23:42 ET by bigtimerTim Graham...
I caught this tonight....
Hallelujah!
Excellent!
Zelnick got zilched!
As I recall, Hillary Clinton
February 8, 2007 - 00:03 ET by Del DolemonteAs I recall, Hillary Clinton used (or abused) her position as First Lady/Co President late in Bubba's term in office to use Government planes to fly her to and from assorted New York State locations while she was running for Bobby Kennedy's carpetbagged Senate seat. Of course, as co/President, she should have some leeway. But did she fully reimburse the taxpayers for her junkets?
As for Pelosi, she should get the same plane her predecessor got, perhaps modified for the longer distance she has to travel.
There is a US government/military plane, the Gulfstream C-20, that would easily fit her demands. It can go up to 4800 miles without stopping at a gas station-in other words, it could not only fly from DC to San Francisco non stop, but could also fly from DC to Hawaii non-stop-but apparently it's too small to accomodate her Michael Jackson-like entourage. It only holds 14 passengers.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/aircraft/c-20-specs.htm
del d ......SHE w
February 8, 2007 - 00:14 ET by ww thumperdel d ......SHE want's a plane like the President has !! SHE thinks SHE'S REALLLY important!! v Being "Politcaly Correct" with ISLAM will distroy America......V
In fact, the plane I mentione
February 8, 2007 - 00:56 ET by Del DolemonteIn fact, the plane I mentioned is the one they offered her. But check out this totally dishonest "reporting" by ABC:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=2858225&page=1&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
Here are the first few lines of the ABC News story:
"Feb. 7, 2007 — A source close to the controversy over the request made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., for use of a military plane that can fly to and from her home district in San Francisco, Calif., without having to stop to refuel, tells ABC News that the Pentagon has rebuffed Pelosi's request.
The source says that Pentagon officials and the Bush administration have instead offered Pelosi use of the same plane made available to former Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.: a C-20, which seats about 12 passengers and five crew members.
A C-20 can make the 700-mile flight to Hastert's Aurora, Ill., district easily but would generally have to stop to refuel to complete the 2,800-mile trip from Washington, D.C. to the San Francisco Bay Area, depending on the headwinds."
That's total BS, as all aviation sources I checked show that in fact, the C-20 can fly from Washington DC to Hawaii NONSTOP:
http://www.theaviationzone.com/factsheets/c20_specs.asp
Don't bigger planes burn more
February 8, 2007 - 06:17 ET by midnight cowboyDon't bigger planes burn more fuel thus creating more emissions to warm the planet? Think we'll see the headline in the New York Times, "Speaker Pelosi, accelerating glacier meltdown"
What bunch of hypocrites
Give her a freakin' bicycle.
Herself and staff, OK, but
February 8, 2007 - 06:22 ET by motherbeltHerself and staff, OK, but supporters????
Why should she or any representative be flying supporters around on the taxpayers' dime?
And exactly WHY would she need to ferry supporters around with her?
Of course, her being a Democrat and all, there wouldn't be any question about possible "quid pro quo", right????
This stinks on ice!
Won't such a war time excepti
February 8, 2007 - 11:25 ET by ucWon't such a war time exception angry her liberal base. How can being given such not make her "end the war now" positions and loose the plane seem a blatant conflict of cause?