Friday, February 9, 2007

Come Fly With Me

Since 9/11, the Speaker of the House has been allowed to use military planes for Congressional business. This makes sense to me, considering the Speaker of the House takes over if the President and Vice President are incapacitated or impeached, neither of which is that enticing a prospect.

Former Speaker Dennis Hastert used a 12 seat military jet. Current Speaker Nancy Pelosi is alleged to want something a little bigger. Republicans are balking, Democrats are circling the wagons to protect Madame Speaker, but they're missing the larger point. The Democrats have shot themselves in the foot with this issue.

Democrats swept into power in the House and somewhat in the Senate by suggesting that they were different from the Republicans, who they painted as out of touch with the American people and corrupt. Squabbling over the size of a military jet isn't exactly the best way to showcase how different you are, especially if you're accused of trying to get a bigger jet.

If that wasn't bad enough, John Murtha tried to throw around some muscle, saying that if the Pentagon wants funding, they'll play ball with Madame Speaker. Maybe Murtha watched a little too much of "The Sopranos," but he's not quite right. The House originates the spending by proposing a budget, but without a President's signature, nobody gets money unless Congress can override a Presidential veto. You might be able to get it in the House, but the Senate, where Democrat control is in name only...not so much.

The combination of Pelosi and Murtha have proven once again that Congressional Democrats have let power go to their heads, which has clouded their political judgment. Pelosi could prevent further damage by coming out and saying she wants the same size plane Hastert had. If she wanted to completely eliminate it, she would publicly insist on a smaller plane. As it stands, she's trying to downplay it by saying she was only making an inquiry about the size of the planes available to her, which isn't quite the same. She needs to insist on the smaller plane to regain the high ground on this issue.

Oh, and she needs to tell Murtha to shut his piehole. His not-so-veiled threat to the Pentagon made him look like someone desperate to throw around his weight instead of someone who could have helped ease tensions between the Pentagon and the Speaker's office. His ham-fisted approach is indicative of the same problem Pelosi seems to have exposed: Democrats think their Congressional power gives them unlimited power to do what they want. It doesn't. They're still subject to the separation of powers and the whim of the voters.

And given how it was the whim of the voters who swept Democrats back into power in the Congress, they should be trying to keep the voters happy.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

What a dumbass you are. Why do you think the world needs another right-wing partisan hack regurgitating talking points? Or are you so desperate for any attention you’ll knowingly repeat half-truths just to generate a response?

Speaker Hastert lives in Illinois and the plane he used only had a range of 2000 miles. Speaker Pelosi lives in California and the House Sergeant at Arms requested a plane that could make the trip without having to refuel. Leave it to the stupid or desperate like you to try to twist the story for personal gain.

TLindaman said...

What a dumbass you are. Why do you think the world needs another right-wing partisan hack regurgitating talking points? Or are you so desperate for any attention you’ll knowingly repeat half-truths just to generate a response?


Yeah, I'm sure Rush and Hannity both talked at length about what Pelosi needed to do to get the scandal behind her...



Speaker Hastert lives in Illinois and the plane he used only had a range of 2000 miles. Speaker Pelosi lives in California and the House Sergeant at Arms requested a plane that could make the trip without having to refuel. Leave it to the stupid or desperate like you to try to twist the story for personal gain.


What personal gain do I have at pointing out how this hurts Pelosi?

What personal gain do I have at pointing out how Murtha's not-so-veiled threat to the Pentagon undercuts Democrat credibility?

And more importantly, what exactly am I twisting? Logic tells me that the House Sergeant at Arms didn't just do this out of the kindness of his heart. Someone had to request it, and my guess it was Pelosi or someone in her office. And the fact that one of the planes is larger than the one Hastert had is a legitimate point of contention because Pelosi came to power claiming she would "drain the swamp." Now, it looks like she's getting sucked into the mire.

So, unless you can point to what I got wrong or what I'm twisting (oh, and if you wouldn't mind taking the time to consider the larger point instead of giving a knee-jerk reaction typical of the faux liberal mindset), I would appreciate an apology. :-)

Anonymous said...

Yep, you're a dumbass. The House Sergeant at Arms already issued a statement contradicting what you claimed you logically deduced. But I am sorry you ARE such a dumbass.

TLindaman said...

garibaldi said...
Yep, you're a dumbass. The House Sergeant at Arms already issued a statement contradicting what you claimed you logically deduced. But I am sorry you ARE such a dumbass.


I saw that statement, and nothing I said was contradicted. And you're still dodging the larger point, which is predictable.

And you call ME a dumbass? ROFLMAO

Anonymous said...

I see. So you claim to have known the facts and still knowingly chose to twist them. I thought you were just a normal web-savvy dumbass when in fact you are just normal right-wing trash.

Well, I hope you find what you so obviously desperately crave some day. After reading a few more of your posts I see you’ve got “issues,” so I will just wish you a happy life.

TLindaman said...

garibaldi said...
I see. So you claim to have known the facts and still knowingly chose to twist them.


Still no proof that I twisted the facts, huh?

I thought you were just a normal web-savvy dumbass when in fact you are just normal right-wing trash.


Ah, attacking me instead of proving what you accused me of doing. Typical faux liberal.


Well, I hope you find what you so obviously desperately crave some day.


Another accusation designed to undercut me instead of engaging me intellectually. Typical faux liberal.


After reading a few more of your posts I see you’ve got “issues,” so I will just wish you a happy life.


Ah, accusing me of "having issues" because I bested you. Typical faux liberal.

Boy, garibaldi. You really showed me. Showed me that you didn't bother to read what I wrote and merely reacted because I suggested (quite correctly based on those pesky things called facts) that this whole plane issue with Pelosi and Murtha hurts the Democrats, which it does. But instead of challenging me on what I said, you accused me of twisting the facts (what facts, you never really specified, by the way).

So, I will bid you a fond farewell. Thank you for proving me right. :-)