Where did the "Pelosi plane controversy" come from?

[sabra]

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070201-122225-1157r.htm

Speaker pursues military flights

By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
February 1, 2007


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.

...

The aide asserted that the administration was using a Washington Times reporter, in effect, to negotiate with the speaker's office by leaking information about Mrs. Pelosi's request. Asked if the speaker was seeking increased access to military planes, the aide took the question, but did not call back.

[Avalux]

1. This is something Rove would do -

if not him, then an understudy. Ridiculous this story would originate with the Wash Times and take off like wildfire in the media.

"sources familiar with the discussions" :eyes:

[rurallib]

2. I don't know but i will bet they have a hundred more diversions

ready to roll out to take focus away from trivial matters like Iraq, Iran, Gitmo, healthcare, on and on.
These folks are just goddamned determined to make sure government does not work, no matter haow many die or go bankrupt in the process.

[cassiepriam]

3. Duh. Rove propaganda. Sociopaths always blame others as a distraction.

Oldest trick in the book.

[madrchsod]

4. sources? everyone know who they are....

do`t they?

[spanone]

5. This smells like classic Rove shit. Leak on one hand and then come out against it on the other.

We will see how the media reports on this story tonight. The real story after listening is in cheneys words 'hogwash'.
I'll be curious to see how it's spun.

[Up2Late]

6. THE WASHINGTON TIMES, end of story!

They are RW hacks! They are always shilling for the GOP and the RW Lie Machine.

[MiniMe]

7. Right Wing Spin SOP

I'm sure this was started in the WH propaganda office, left to brew for a while, and now the WH is coming out and saying to leave Nancy alone.

[featherman]

8. From the same GOP spin machine that brought us the abusurdities

of "Filegate", "Travelgate" "Haircutgate" and others in the early Clinton months. Gain political advantage by demeaning and degrading the opponent with the willing complicity of the usual suspects in the MSM. Mountains out of molehills with saturation coverage. Ho hum ...business as usual.

[CBHagman]

9. See the Republican National Committee website.

Note that the stories are more often than not from the New York Post and the Washington Times.

http://www.gop.com/News/Read.aspx?ID=6788

The press corps dutifully devoted a portion of today's White House briefing to this topic. From what I heard, Tony Snow depicted military planes as routine for the speaker and refused to criticize Pelosi.

[Robbien]

10. Yes, the story came from the WH and pentagon

They are trying to use the controversy in their fight on defense funding with Murtha and Pelosi.

[regnaD kciN]

11. Probably from the same sources as Clinton's famous LAX haircut...

...and how "Gore said he invented the Internet."

:eyes:

Repugs especially like making up damaging stories out of whole cloth -- it's even better when they can be proved false right away, because it shows their power in turning easily-refutable lies into "conventional wisdom," no matter what.

[CBHagman]

12. The problem is the media accepts it and passes it on.

The Washington Post is still running with the Gore/Internet and the LAX stories. The media works it into the brains of viewers/readers/listeners until it is accepted as common knowledge.

[Up2Late]

13. UPDATE: NPR had one of it's reporters fact check this story...

...which, btw, is the first time they've said anything about this bogus story. Bottom line, The Washington Times reported and exaggerated a leak from the Pentagon and the 24/7 "news" has run with it:

White House Defends Pelosi on Plane Issue

Listen to this story...(at link)
by Andrea Seabrook

All Things Considered, February 8, 2007 · The White House is defending House Speaker Nancy Pelosi against Republican
criticism that her desire to travel in a long-distance Air Force
plane is an extravagance. Republicans have taken issue with the
size of the plane in which Pelosi would need to fly to reach her
hometown of San Francisco without refueling.

(more info at link) <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7283476>