Thursday, February 01, 2007

YourGrannyNan Wants the Military--Just for Her!

Although it's not without precedent, YourGrannyNan is pushing the envelope harder than did Hastert.

The office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

Mrs. Pelosi’s request is not new for a speaker, who is second-in-line in presidential succession. A defense source said the speaker’s regular access to a military plane began after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Rep. J. Dennis Hastert, Illinois Republican, who was speaker at the time, started using U.S. Air Force planes for domestic travel to and from his district for security reasons. A former Hastert aide said the congressman did not use military planes for political trips or regularly transport his family.

The defense source said Mr. Hastert requested a plane with good communications so he could conduct legislative business. The military flights increased to the point the speaker used a military plane for many, if not all, flights to his Illinois district, the former aide said.

Sources said Mrs. Pelosi’s request goes beyond what Mr. Hastert received.

Obviously, the question is "What does 'going beyond' really mean?" If YourGrannyNan wants to fly her family around, that's over the line.

Source: the Washington Times, HT: Lakeshore.

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