THE TENSION: Update 2: Pelosi Seeks Routine Use of Large Military Jets

She's against using the military unless it's for a ride.
Open thread:

Editor's note: this post has been updated. Read it (Update 3).

Update: Republicans on Wednesday assailed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's request for access to a large Air Force transport plane as an extravagance, reminding that former Speaker Dennis Hastert flew in a small military commuter jet, reports AP.

Republicans are taking issue with the size of the plane Pelosi has requested. Pelosi had asked for access to an Air Force C-32 aircraft (45 passengers, 16 crew), a military version of the Boeing 757-200 (up to 239 passengers, 2 flightcrew). Air Force Two is a C-32 primarily used by the vice president.

Hastert, an Illinois Republican, flew in a small commuter-sized C-20 jet. Pelosi and her aides say that because her congressional district is in California, her security would require a larger plane that can fly coast to coast without refueling.

Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida, the No. 3 Republican leader, said he supported the tradition of House speakers having access to secure airplanes with secure communications in the post-9/11 era, because of their spot in the presidential line of succession.

But he called Pelosi's desire for a large transport "an extravagance of power that the taxpayers won't swallow."

Air Force Two. A C-32, a specially configured version of the Boeing 757-200 commercial intercontinental airliner, takes off. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The C-20A/B, military versions of the Gulfstream III, were chosen in June 1983 as the replacement aircraft for the C-140B Jetstar. In 1992, Gulfstream delivered their latest model, the C-20H (Gulfstream IV) to Andrews AFB. (U.S. Air Force photo)

The Bush administration has agreed to provide House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with regular access to an Air Force passenger jet, but the two sides are negotiating whether she will get the big aircraft she wants and who she may take as passengers, according to congressional and administration sources, reports The Washington Times.

A congressional source said that Rep. John P. Murtha, chairman of House Appropriations subcommittee on defense, which controls the Pentagon's spending, has telephoned administration officials to urge them to give the speaker what she wants.

Mrs. Pelosi wants a larger aircraft that can fly to her home district of San Francisco nonstop. She also wants to be able to ferry other members of the congressional delegation, family members and her staff.

"She's effectively taking a bird out of the fleet," said a defense source. "It will most directly impact the House, because they're the heavy users of the large aircraft. Congress looks at that Andrews fleet as their Hertz rent-a-car."
The congressional source said the speaker's office requested an Air Force plane to take her to a weekend Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, but the Pentagon declined.

The defense source, who asked not to be named, termed her request "carte blanche," saying she wanted a plane that could carry an entourage just like President Bush, who flies on Air Force One, and Vice President Dick Cheney, who also always flies on military planes.

The Washington Times reports 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.

The sources, who include those in Congress and in the administration, said the Democrat is seeking regular military flights not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation. A knowledgeable source called the request "carte blanche for an aircraft any time."

"They are pressing the point of her succession and that the [Department of Defense] needs to play ball with the speaker's needs," one source said. The request originally went to the Pentagon, which then asked the White House to weigh in.