Democracy Has Prevailed.

February 9, 2007

More on the Pelosi-Smear

Instead of paying attention to this story (about the Pentagon office allegedly shaping manipulating intelligence):

In a telephone interview Thursday, Levin said the IG report is "very damning" and shows a Pentagon policy shop trying to shape intelligence to prove a link between al-Qaida and Saddam.

"That was the argument that was used to make the sale to the American people about the need to go to war," Levin said. "And the idea that this separate intelligence assessment, which was wrong, which was distorted, which was inappropriate for the reasons given here (by the IG) is something which is highly disturbing."

Though if you were to look, the AP story is itself spun - it's not about whether the manipulation happened (it did and the IG report says it was "innapropriate") but about whether it was legal. Levin has something to say about that as well:
Levin also said it was a "red herring" to say that he or others in Congress claimed that any of Feith's activities had been illegal. Feith has said the accusation that he misled Congress was, by definition, a claim that he had acted illegally.
Between the lines, it's obvious that the report says the manipulation occured, but the MSM stenographers will (if they look at the story at all) insist it was OK, because the Pentagon, when investigating itself, found that it had done nothing illegal. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

That's if the media looks at the story at all.

No. Thanks to the rightwing smear machine and their friends in pliant media, we'll probably get more coverage of the debunked Pelosi plane story.

Debunked? But isn't she demanding an "Airforce III" so that she can fly all her political cronies wherever they want to fly? Isn't she demanding a extravagantly big plane so that she can fly home to get her hair done on an airport tarmac and stop commuter traffic just like Bill Clinton did in the early '90s?

Well no. From MSNBC:

The Air Force transport plane decried by Republicans as an extravagance for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was requested by the House sergeant-at-arms as a matter of security, he said Thursday.

“I regret that an issue that is exclusively considered and decided in a security context has evolved into a political issue,” Bill Livingood said in a news release. He said because Pelosi lives in California he was compelled “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.”

The White House even chimed in. From yesterday's briefing:

Q You called the Pelosi plane issue a "silly story" this morning. Shortly thereafter the RNC put out a statement saying -- calling it "Pelosi's power trip" and that she's "non-stop Nancy seeks flight of fancy." Are you calling that --

MR. SNOW: Well, I'll reiterate our position. The question -- the RNC has put out a statement on Speaker Pelosi and travel arrangements, and I'll just repeat our position, which is, as Speaker of the House, she is entitled to military transport, and that the arrangements, the proper arrangements are being made between the Sergeant of Arms office in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Department of Defense. We think it's appropriate, and so, again, I think this is much ado about not a whole lot. It is important for the Speaker to have this kind of protection and travel. It was certainly appropriate for Speaker Hastert. So we trust that all sides will get this worked out. [emphasis added]

Even Newsmax quotes Snow:

The White House on Thursday defended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi against Republican criticism that her desire to fly in an Air Force transport plane is an extravagance.

"This is a silly story and I think it's been unfair to the speaker," White House spokesman Tony Snow said.

But there is an interesting wrinkle to this now-debunked story. Hastert's use of the DoD plane. And the rightwing smear machine's convenient blindness to his political use of his DoD plane. From The Hill:
When Hastert was under pressure because of the exploding Mark Foley page scandal last October, he ordered an airlift at government expense to fly a lawmaker to Washington for the sole purpose of getting him to a press conference to help bail Hastert out of the jam.
Remember the Mark Foley scandal? No need to go into all the republican dirt on that one right now.

On Sunday, Oct. 1, Hastert’s team was scrambling to contain the escalating fallout from the Foley page scandal.

That day, Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), then the chairman of the page board, had gotten an urgent phone call from Stokke. The Hastert team wanted Shimkus to return to Washington immediately from his home in southern Illinois in order to appear at a press conference on Monday with the Speaker, and they did not want to deal with commercial flight schedules.

So at 8 p.m. that day, Shimkus arrived at the military side of the Scott Air Force Base near Belleville to board the Speaker’s jet that had been dispatched for him.
The plane then headed to an airport near Aurora, Ill., to pick up Hastert, who had been weekending at his home in Plano, before flying on to Washington.


But look at the text above. Hastert ordered aircraft at government expense to fly a lawmaker TO DC. And for a short while, Hastert wasn't even in the plane! All to get the guys to a news conference to discuss the resignation of a Republican Congressman found diddling teenage boys.

The media, of course, won't be mentioning that. Just the Republican spin on an already debunked story.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

But it's OK when the Republicans do it, because when you're a wingnut it's *just* different.

Anonymous said...

It amuses me greatly to see that I annoy the person who calls him/herself "Democrats-Lie."

To them I can only say this:

Do I annoy you that much?

Glad to see what I do is getting to you. Because if I didn't "get" to you, you wouldn't make such an ass out of yourself.

*smiles* and *laughs more*

Oh yeah, by the way one more thing:

Can't you come up with anything original? Or like the liberal you are, do you have to steal and use the ideas of others?

*smiles even more*

Anonymous said...

David, if memory serves, Pelosi was offered a smaller jet which was capable of flying coast to coast w/o a refuel stop, and she downright turned her nose up at it.

It's not until when the GOP got on her about this when she claimed she'd take a commercial flight.

Speaking of the media, do you really think that CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, CBS, ABC, and NBC take the side of the Republicans?

Or do you take the side of Maurice Hinchey who said that Dan Rather was set up by Carl Rove regarding the "forged documents" fiasco of 2004.

Where's your evidence that the media is biased toward the side of the Republicans, David?

Grace said...

Nancy Pelosi deserves no less than the last Speaker of the House Hassert received in secured transportation.
The Republic party's swirl of lies on this subject are almost as laughable as Braden adding comments to his own blog or his comments here because no one will be his friend.
When you're a pathological lying Republican you're *just* pathetic.

Anonymous said...

Jesus Is A Liberal:

I've reached the end of my rope with you. You have the audocity to have the name "jesus" in your name when you spit your hate toward me. First off, I've had a handful of people my comment system via DL is not working. I merely tested it...twice.

However, I find it interesting that you yourself have taken the time to notice the comments on there and who has posted them, because in order to see who posted the comments one has to be there and click on the comment link. So much for no one going there to read it. And believe me, I know people read it. I know who goes there. I know what's read, and I know how long people stay there. If no one bothered, I wouldn't waste my time.

In the interest of since what I do obviously bugs the living crap out of you, I now know why you feel the way you do toward me. And to that I say: "It's working."

Anonymous said...

Jesus Is A Liberal: I haven't really reached the end of my rope with you. It's just that IMPOSTOR Democrats-Lie again. I just don't know what to do about him.

Anyhow, don't think badly of me, it's the fake guy, really. And you know, when you're a fake, it's *just* different.

Grace said...

Braden,

Jesus threw the money changers out of the temple - like all of America is throwing your kind out of office.
Why don't you go back to taking your little pictures of scenery and then post them on your blog with comments about your make believe family. No one in the Greater Pittsburgh area takes you seriously.
You are *just* an ignorant man who can't admit that you picked the losing side.
So, if you are at the end of your rope-let go....we won't miss you.

Anonymous said...

JIAL:

How's come you spew the hate? Where's the tolerance that liberals supposedly are? Or, are you going to ignore that what I just said. Of course you will. You'll just respond back with more hate because that's all you can do.

Do I get to you that much? Do I bother you so much that you have to spew out your hateful shit my direction?

What, since I do not agree with your political views, you feel that gives you the right to spew your hate?

Just damn! You certainly do not sound like what liberals supposedly claim to be, which is a tolerant group of people.

Where's the "Make love not war" mentality with you?

"No one in the greater Pittsburgh area takes you seriously." LOL! You're a joke. So like, what you're really saying is that I am getting to you, you don't like what I have to say on DL.com, and this is your way of "getting back" to me.

You're nothing more than a whiny, sniveling anarchist who hates people who disagree with her.

I have three words for you: Get. Over. It.

Quit being such a horse's ass already.

Anonymous said...

Pay no attention to that IMPOSTOR Democrats-Lie.

It's really sad that whoever he is had to stoop to using my name just because I finally saw how silly I was being and became a liberal.

Couldn't he just be the slightest bit courageous or original and use his own name?

I guess if you're just a dumb scaredy cat it's *just* different.

Dayvoe said...

Jesus is a Liberal;

Don't worry about our friend Braden. It's just a retread of his tired debating method: He spews just enough crap to get a firey response out of someone. Then he makes the accusation that that response is some kind of "intolerant hate speech" (or some such variant). This is then followed by the accusation that the person responding (in this case you) is being somehow hypocritical to some mindset (in this case "make love not war") he's projected onto the left.

To Braden any disagreement with him shows an "intolerance to diversity" and therefore a rejection of an important liberal tenet. It's a neat way of Braden being Braden without having to truly respond to any criticism - because any criticism (in his mind, at least) immediately discredits the person making it.

A safe way to "debate" isn't it? It's a guarantee of a self-defined victory.

It's also complete crap.

Anonymous said...

Hey David:

Let's refer back to my original comment before "holier than thou" Jesus Is A Liberal hissed at me:

My original comment to YOU is as follows:

"David, if memory serves, Pelosi was offered a smaller jet which was capable of flying coast to coast w/o a refuel stop, and she downright turned her nose up at it.

It's not until when the GOP got on her about this when she claimed she'd take a commercial flight.

Speaking of the media, do you really think that CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, CBS, ABC, and NBC take the side of the Republicans?

Or do you take the side of Maurice Hinchey who said that Dan Rather was set up by Carl Rove regarding the "forged documents" fiasco of 2004.

Where's your evidence that the media is biased toward the side of the Republicans, David?"

Immediately afterward, Jesus Is A Liberal barked at me, with her commenting that no one reads my blog, and that I am a joke in the Pittsburgh area, etc. Her responses were basically nothing more than attacks, as to which I let her have it back in my own way. I see NO response from you with the exception of you backing up Jesus Is A Liberal with nothing more than personal attacks yourself.

And your response is a representation of your debating skills? Please. Don't even try it. I get the feeling you won't debate with me because, like Jesus Is A Liberal, your butt would be owned just as badly.

And yes you're right...it's crap. It's crap you won't respond back with anything but personal attacks yourself.

You're just another typical liberal coward.

Grace said...

Thanks for the kind words David. BTW-I am all for making love rather than war - it makes everything so much nicer. Everyone should add that one on their weekly 'to-do' list.
As for our uptight pal -the only coward here is you Braden. You have never served your country as a member of the military, yet you want to send others to die for lies from your president.
Nancy Pelosi did not dignify the GOP smear against her by rebutting each and every one of the lies from your party and the Republic talk radio hate machine.
You should get a therapist for all of your anger issues and then try to dialogue with people.

Anonymous said...

Jesus Is A Liberal,

So, I am a coward because I haven't served my country via the military?

That's the oldest liberal argument there is when it comes to fighting the war on terror.

I suggest you change your attitude.

Using your logic, one now will automatically assume the 90% of this country's population who never served in the armed forces are also cowards.

As far as therapy is concerned my dear, perhaps you should look into it. You're the one spewing out hate, and attacking me. I never attacked you.

You're just another example of the liberal who cannot take the responsibility of his/her actions. You're actually blaming me for your attitude.

Nice try. No cigar.

Anonymous said...

Hey Spaztic.

So, fix it already, or ask the nurse at Western Psych to fetch someone from tech support to help you fix it.

How can we see what a mature, rational political discussion looks like if your popular website is broke?

Art L aka Wolfdancer said...

Ruth Ann Daily just doesn't get it. Today she writes in the PPG - Democrats quick to abuse new power and slams Nancy Pelosi about the Plane controversy that has been cleared up even by the white house. Good going Ruth Ann, I guess your still looking for WMDs as well.