Speaker Under Fire

This is from the Republican National Committee, so take it with as many grains of salt as necessary. You might also want to pay attention to the citations, mainly The Washington Times, FOX News, and Tucker Carlson (is he still wearing bow ties?)

"Non-Stop" Nancy Seeks Flight Of Fancy

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) Wants Non-Stop Military Aircraft For Herself, Staff, Family, And Other Members In California Delegation:

"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." (Rowan Scarborough, "Speaker Pursues Military Flights," The Washington Times, 2/1/07)

"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." (Rowan Scarborough, "Speaker Pursues Military Flights," The Washington Times, 2/1/07)

"A Knowledgeable Source Called The Request 'Carte Blanche For An Aircraft Any Time.'" (Rowan Scarborough, "Speaker Pursues Military Flights," The Washington Times, 2/1/07)

Fox News' Brit Hume: "[P]elosi is said by military sources to be interested in more, a larger plane capable of carrying more people non-stop to the West Coast ..." (Fox News' "Special Report," 2/5/07)

Speaker Pelosi: "We want an aircraft that can reach California." (Jim Kuhnhenn, "GOP Bristles At Pelosi Plane Request," The Associated Press, 2/8/07)

Pelosi Plane Includes Private Bed, Entertainment Center, And Costs $22,000 Per Hour To Operate:

"The Craft She Has Reportedly Requested, The Air Force's C-32, Seats An Entourage Of 42, Business Class, With A State Room, Entertainment Center, Private Bed And A Fully Operational Communications Center." (Editorial, "Pelosi's Hard Landing," The Washington Times, 2/8/07)

"It Costs Taxpayers $22,000 An Hour To Operate, According To Military And Congressional Sources." (Niles Lathem, "Air-Ogant Nancy," New York Post, 2/8/07)

Pelosi Request Goes Beyond What Prior Speakers Requested:

"Sources Said Mrs. Pelosi's Request Goes Beyond What Mr. Hastert Received." (Rowan Scarborough, "Speaker Pursues Military Flights," The Washington Times, 2/1/07)

"For Comparison, The Jet Mr. Hastert Settled For Is Much Smaller -- It Seats 16 ..." (Editorial,"Pelosi's Hard Landing," The Washington Times, 2/8/07)

And Plane Rep. Hastert Used Could Fly Coast To Coast Non-Stop. "Critics wondered why Pelosi couldn't use the planes her predecessor, Republican Dennis Hastert, had used, the smaller C-37A or C-20. Both planes are capable of flying coast to coast without refueling under optimal conditions." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 2/7/07)

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) Hints Of Cuts In Pentagon Funding Over Plane Flap:

"Murtha Said He Is Convinced The Pentagon Has Been Leaking Information About The Possibility That Pelosi Would Use Large Military Planes To Make Her Look Bad." (Edward Epstein, "GOP Makes Much Ado About The Size Of Pelosi's Plane," San Francisco Chronicle, 2/8/07)

Rep. Murtha: "They're making a mistake when they leak it because she decides on allocations for them." (Edward Epstein, "GOP Makes Much Ado About The Size Of Pelosi's Plane," San Francisco Chronicle, 2/8/07)

MSNBC's Tucker Carlson Said Murtha's Action Was "Skirting The Edge Of Appropriate." Tucker Carlson: "[A]pparently Jack Murtha, the guy who's in control of the military budget, called over to the White House and said Nancy Pelosi wants a bigger plane. Now it seems to me that's skirting the edge of appropriate, having the guy in charge of the military budget demand a military aircraft for one of his closest political allies. Don't they have anything better to do?" (MSNBC's "Tucker," 2/7/07)

Mitt Romney's Flip-Flops

The Democratic National Committee has issued a news release detailing what they term "turnarounds" in views expressed by Republican presidential wannabe Mitt Romney.
Of course, we all know them as "flip-flops," but the Dems wouldn't be caught dead using that term after what happened to John Kerry.

We have no such qualms, so here are Mitt's Flip-Flops as presented by the DNC.

On Campaign Finance Reform:
Old Mitt: Proposed "Taxing Political Contributions," "Publicly Funded Campaigns," "Spending Limits" And "Abolishing" PACS. During his 2002 gubernatorial campaign, Romney "proposed taxing political contributions to finance publicly funded campaigns," while during his 1994 Senate campaign Romney "publicly advocated placing spending limits on congressional campaigns and abolishing political action committees (PACs)." [The Hill, 2/8/07]
New Mitt: Campaign Finance Reform "One Of The Worst Things In My Lifetime." "While several Republicans who attended the Republican Study Committee (RSC) retreat greeted Romney's remarks on abortion with skepticism, his condemnation of changes to campaign-finance rules struck a positive chord with the entire audience. Romney specifically criticized the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act sponsored by his rival for the GOP presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). 'Referring to the bill, [Romney] called it 'one of the worst things in my lifetime,'' one conservative Republican said. Romney also has criticized McCain on campaign finance while stumping in South Carolina, where President Bush turned the tide against McCain in the 2000 GOP presidential primary." [The Hill, 2/8/07]

On Taxes:
Old Mitt: Romney Refused to Sign "No New Tax" Pledge. When he thought he needed to look more moderate to get elected governor in 2002, Romney's campaign mocked the pledge as "government by gimmickry." [Boston Globe, 1/5/07] As governor, Romney drastically raised fees and taxes.
New Mitt: Signs Pledge to Hide Tax Raising Record. This month, Romney signed the same "no new tax" pledge he refused to sign in 2002 to hide the fact that under his failed leadership, Bay Staters saw their tax burden increase by more than 5 percent, and Romney's cuts to local communities sent Massachusetts property taxes to their highest level in 25 years. [Massachusetts State-Local Tax Burden Compared to National Average (1970-2006), The Tax Foundation; Quincy Patriot Ledger, 12/16/05]

On the Bush Tax Cuts:
Old Mitt: Refuses to Publicly Endorse Bush Tax Cuts. Romney refused to endorse tax cuts at the heart of President Bush's economic program in 2003. Romney's spokesperson said that it's "just not a state matter." [Boston Globe, 4/11/03]
New Mitt: Brags About Support for Bush Tax Cuts. During a November 13, 2006 press conference held in Arizona, Romney outlined differences between himself and McCain. Romney said "he was quicker than McCain to endorse President Bush's tax cuts." [East Valley Sun, 11/14/06]

On Guns:
Old Mitt: Romney Bragged That His Views on Gun Control Were "Not Going to Make Me the Hero of the NRA." In 1994 and 2002, Romney supported the Brady Bill and the assault weapons ban, even bragging that his positions were "not going to make me the hero of the NRA." As governor, Romney signed a 2004 law making Massachusetts the first state to pass a permanent assault weapons ban. [Boston Globe, 1/14/06]
New Mitt: Emphasizing New Pro-Gun Stances, Misled The Voters About Whether He Himself Is A Gun-Owner. On January 12, Romney tried to highlight his newfound support for gun owners by heading to Orlando to tour one of the country's largest gun shows with Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association. On Wednesday he told the online The Glenn and Helen Show that states should "continue to ease regulations on gun owners" and claimed "I have a gun of my own." Later, Romney was forced to admit to reporters in Orlando that he in fact did not personally own any guns. [Boston Globe, 1/14/06]

On Abortion:
Old Mitt: Courted Endorsement From Pro-Choice Groups in 2002. During his 2002 campaign for governor, Romney reached out to Republican Majority for Choice to ask for its endorsement and later issued a press release highlighting that endorsement. Romney also completed a Planned Parenthood questionnaire in Apr '02, saying "yes" to a question about whether he supported "the substance of" Roe v. Wade, "yes" to "state funding of abortion services through Medicaid for low-income women" and "yes" to supporting "efforts to increase access to emergency contraception." Romney said on a NARAL questionnaire, "I respect and will protect a woman's right to choose." [Weekly Standard, 2/5/07].
New Mitt: Views Have "Evolved." "Romney says his anti-abortion views have 'evolved and deepened' since he took office, colored in part by the debate over embryonic stem cell research. 'In considering the issue of embryo cloning and embryo farming, I saw where the harsh logic of abortion can lead -- to the view of innocent new life as nothing more than research material or a commodity to be exploited,' Romney wrote in an opinion piece in Tuesday's Boston Globe.' He also said he believes each state should decide whether to allow abortion, rather than having the 'one size fits all' precedent of Roe v. Wade. [newsmax.com, 7/27/05, emphasis added]

On Gay Marriage:
Old Mitt: Opposed Federal Marriage Amendment, Promised to be Stronger Leader on Gay Rights Than Senator Ted Kennedy. Romney once opposed a federal constitutional amendment defining marriage and pledged to provide "more effective leadership" on establishing "full equality for America's gay and lesbian citizens" than Senator Ted Kennedy. [Boston Globe, 10/17/94]
New Mitt: Supports Constitutional Amendment, Even Worked to Block Same-Sex Couples From Adopting. Romney told the National Review Institute's Conservative Summit that he as "was unequivocal" on gay marriage, saying: "I opposed then, and do now, gay marriage and civil unions." [Newyorktimes.com, 1/28/07] Romney also now supports a constitutional amendment on marriage and tried to allow religious agencies to block adoptions to same-sex households. ["Transcript of Romney Address to Liberty Sunday," EvangelicalsforMitt.com, 10/16/06; Boston Globe, 3/16/06]

On His Political Heroes:
Old Mitt: Distanced Himself from Reagan in 1994 & 2002. Romney once claimed to be "an independent during the time of Reagan-Bush" who was "not trying to return to Reagan-Bush." [Boston Globe, 1/19/07]
New Mitt: Takes Every Opportunity to Call Himself a Reagan Republican. Romney now calls President Reagan his "hero" and praises "Ronald Reagan's brand of visionary and courageous leadership." [Boston Globe, 1/19/07] Romney even cited President Reagan in explaining his decision to flip-flop on abortion during a speech to the National Review Institute's Conservative Summit, saying: "On abortion, I wasn't always a Ronald Reagan conservative. Neither was Ronald Reagan, by the way." [Newyorktimes.com, 1/28/07]