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On Hannity & Colmes, Gingrich falsely claimed that Dennis Hastert "did not get a private plane"

On the December 19 broadcast of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Fox News contributor and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) falsely asserted that former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) "did not get a private plane" following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Gingrich added: "There's no reason for anyone but the president and vice president of the United States to have that level of security." Gingrich made his comments during a segment in which co-host Sean Hannity criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) use of a private jet. In fact, following 9-11, the House sergeant-at-arms, the Defense Department, and the White House agreed that military planes should be made available to the speaker of the House for national security reasons, and Hastert was the first speaker to use one. During the segment, Hannity said to Gingrich: "With all of this news and all of this outrage over the auto CEOs and private jets, et cetera, et cetera, here's what we discovered today -- that Princess Nancy Pelosi and [Senate Majority Leader] Prince Harry Reid [D-NV] and every member of Congress during these tough economic times, they're going to get $4,700 in a pay increase. Nobody's mad that Nancy Pelosi has her private jet. You didn't have a private jet as speaker of the House." Co-host Alan Colmes later stated: "[O]n the private plane for Nancy Pelosi: She was advised after 9-11, as I understand it, for security reasons, to -- that she needed to have the private plane." Gingrich responded: "That's baloney. That is just baloney. Denny Hastert did not get a private plane. There's no reason for anyone but the president and vice president of the United States to have that level of security." As Media Matters for America noted, contrary to Gingrich's claim that "Denny Hastert did not get a private plane," House Sergeant-at-Arms Wilson Livingood said in a February 8, 2007, statement: "In a post 9/11 threat environment, it is reasonable and prudent to provide military aircraft to the Speaker [of the House] for official travel between Washington and her district. The practice began with Speaker Hastert and I have recommended that it continue with Speaker Pelosi." In addition, then-White House press secretary Tony Snow said in a February 7, 2007, White House press briefing, "After September 11th, the Department of Defense -- with the consent of the White House -- agreed that the Speaker of the House should have military transport." He also said: "So Speaker Hastert had access to military aircraft and Speaker Pelosi will, too." The next day, Snow stated, "It is important for the Speaker to have this kind of protection and travel," adding that such protection was "certainly appropriate for Speaker Hastert." Media Matters previously documented Hannity's false suggestion that Pelosi's use of a military jet for transportation was unprecedented on the December 4 broadcasts of his nationally syndicated radio program and his Fox News television program, as well as Gingrich's assertion on that evening's edition of Hannity & Colmes that Pelosi's use of a military jet for transportation was a "misuse of Air Force personnel" and that "there's no practical reason for it." From the December 19 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes: HANNITY: And we continue now with former speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. Mr. Speaker, I want to take a -- stand back and look at the big picture here: $700 billion bailout for banks, for financial institutions, for insurance companies. We have Barack Obama and the Democrats putting on the table nearly $1 trillion, including a new welfare program they'll create as part of their stimulus package. Now, the $17 billion is a loan. I don't want to see one autoworker lose their job -- neither does any American -- but we need the unions to work with the auto companies. But here's my problem: With all of this news and all of this outrage over the auto CEOs and private jets, et cetera, et cetera, here's what we discovered today -- that Princess Nancy Pelosi and Prince Harry Reid and every member of Congress during these tough economic times, they're going to get $4,700 in a pay increase. Nobody's mad that Nancy Pelosi has her private jet. You didn't have a private jet as speaker of the House. Why isn't there more anger at Washington government mismanagement than, you know, companies? GINGRICH: Well, I think there's a pretty good bit of anger about Congress and the entire mess in Washington. I think there's hope that President-elect Obama will somehow represent a change, but I have to say that the things we're seeing happen are almost unimaginable. Here you have the U.S. Congress rejecting help for the auto companies, saying that it shouldn't be passed unless there are very strong changes, and having the United Auto Workers in particular reject those changes. Now, you have the president coming right back and saying he doesn't care what the Congress did, he's going to write a check for $17 billion -- fundamentally wrong in every way. The fact is that the United Airlines, for example, went into bankruptcy, spent four years reorganizing, came out of bankruptcy, is healthier and stronger today, and would not have survived without that reorganization. Giving these companies $17 billion without having them change their behavior simply throws away the money, buys a few extra months, and then the companies are going to continue getting weaker and weaker. COLMES: But they do have to change their behavior, Mr. Speaker. In fact, by the way, on the private plane for Nancy Pelosi: She was advised after 9-11, as I understand it, for security reasons, to -- that she needed to have the private plane. GINGRICH: That's -- COLMES: That's why she has it -- GINGRICH: That is just -- COLMES: -- based on what happened after 9-11. GINGRICH: That's baloney. That is just baloney. Denny Hastert did not get a private plane. There's no reason for anyone but the president and vice president of the United States to have that level of security. COLMES: But she was taking advice to do this. She didn't decide to do it. She was advised that this would be the safest way for her to travel. HANNITY: She asked for a bigger plane. GINGRICH: Alan. COLMES: That's what happened. GINGRICH: Alan, if you believe that, I want to introduce you to Mr. Martyr who may have a little bit of his phony stock left, because I'm sure he'd like to sell it to you. COLMES: Well, thank you. Thank you for caring about my financial well-being. That's very kind of you, Mr. Speaker.

Most Outrageous Comments of 2008

With attacks on autistic children, the poor, and HIV-positive basketball star Magic Johnson, talking heads showed that nobody was safe in 2008, no matter how unfounded and unseemly the smear. Progressive politicians, particularly Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton and President-elect Barack Obama, were also targets. Obama was called everything from a "pussy" (Don Imus), to a "steamy crap sandwich" (Chris Krok). One commentator said Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo -- a black on the outside, a white on the inside" (John McLaughlin), while others associated him with the Antichrist (Bill Cunningham, Chris Baker, Brian Sussman, others). Michelle Obama was also targeted, being described, among other things, as "Kim Jong-Il dressed up with a bit of Oprah Winfrey dressing" (Mark Steyn). MSNBC's Chris Matthews said Clinton's success is attributable not to her merit, but to the fact that "her husband messed around." The list of offenses to women, minorities, gays and lesbians, immigrants, and others in 2008 is a long one, but here are some of the standouts: CHRIS MATTHEWS After vowing not to underestimate Clinton, Matthews asserted, "[T]he reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around": "Let's not forget -- and I'll be brutal -- the reason she's [Hillary Clinton] a U.S. senator, the reason she's a candidate for president, the reason she may be a front-runner is her husband messed around. That's how she got to be senator from New York. We keep forgetting it. She didn't win there on her merit. She won because everybody felt, 'My God, this woman stood up under humiliation,' right? That's what happened." (January 9) MICHAEL SAVAGE Savage claimed Lantos used the Holocaust as "a weapon the rest of his life": Following the death of Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA), a native Hungarian who escaped from a Nazi slave-labor camp during World War II, Savage said: "You're not supposed to talk badly about the dead. I generally wouldn't do it. But in the case of Tom Lantos, I'll make an exception. I think he was one of the most -- he was a scoundrel. And I'll tell you why I detested Tom Lantos. The man survived the Holocaust of World War II and used it as a weapon the rest of his life." (February 11) Savage: "The children's minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia": Responding to a caller who said, "I had to explain to my young son why these two men were holding hands the other day," Savage stated, "You've got to explain to the children ... why God told people this was wrong. ... You have to explain this to them in this time of mental rape that's going on. The children's minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia, that's my position. They're raping our children's minds." (June 16) Savage on autism: "A fraud, a racket. ... In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out": "Now, you want me to tell you my opinion on autism, since I'm not talking about autism? A fraud, a racket. ... You know what autism is? I'll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it's a brat who hasn't been told to cut the act out. That's what autism is. What do you mean they scream and they're silent? They don't have a father around to tell them, 'Don't act like a moron. You'll get nowhere in life. Stop acting like a putz. Straighten up. Act like a man. Don't sit there crying and screaming, idiot.' Autism -- everybody has an illness. If I behaved like a fool, my father called me a fool. And he said to me, 'Don't behave like a fool.' The worst thing he said -- 'Don't behave like a fool. Don't be anybody's dummy. Don't sound like an idiot. Don't act like a girl. Don't cry.' That's what I was raised with. That's what you should raise your children with. Stop with the sensitivity training. You're turning your son into a girl, and you're turning your nation into a nation of losers and beaten men. That's why we have the politicians we have." (July 16) Savage: "Why should a welfare recipient have the right to vote? They're only gonna vote themselves a raise": "Do you think a person on welfare has the right to vote? I don't. Why should a person who is on public assistance maintain the right to vote? Tell me why. Where is it written that they should have the right to vote? I support them, and they should have the same vote I do? That would be like saying an infant has the right to vote or an insane person has the right to vote. Why should a welfare recipient have the right to vote? They're only gonna vote themselves a raise." (October 22) E.D. HILL Fox News' E.D. Hill teased discussion of Obama dap: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab?": Teasing an upcoming segment on the Obamas' "fist bump or fist pound" Hill stated: "A fist bump? A pound? A terrorist fist jab? The gesture everyone seems to interpret differently. We'll show you some interesting body communication and find out what it really says." (June 6) BILL CUNNINGHAM Cunningham invoked "[s]ix-six-six" and "the beast" in discussing "Barack Hussein Obama": Cunningham stated that 666,000 new voters were registered in Ohio prior to the presidential election, then stated, "Six, six, six. The mark of the beast. The great majority, of course, are registered by ACORN. ... Who conducted ACORN seminars to tell ACORN employees and others how to cheat the system? Barack Hussein Obama. I may declare him to be the beast. Six, six, six. It could be the end of all days." Cunningham repeated the attack in his October 13 broadcast. (October 10) Cunningham on Obama Sr.: "That's what black fathers do. They simply leave": Cunningham stated of Sen. Barack Obama's childhood: "[I]magine at the age of 1 or 2 seeing your father for the last time. See, his father was a typical black father who, right after the birth, left the baby. That's what black fathers do. They simply leave." (October 28) Cunningham: "[P]eople are poor in America ... because they lack values, morals, and ethics": "[U]nlike many countries in the world, Steve [Malanga, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and senior editor of City Journal, an urban policy journal], we have fat poor people. We don't have skinny poor people. Ours are fat and flatulent. ...You know, people are poor in America, Steve, not because they lack money; they're poor because they lack values, morals, and ethics. And if government can't teach and instill that, we're wasting our time simply giving poor people money." (October 28) Cunningham alleged that "Obama wants to gas the Jews": After claiming that American-born Middle East scholar Rashid Khalidi "wants to gas and fry Jews," Cunningham said, "Jews for [Sen. John] McCain because Obama wants to gas the Jews, like the PLO wants to gas the Jews, like the Nazis gassed the Jews." (October 30) MARC RUDOV Marc Rudov on "the downside" of a woman president: "You mean besides the PMS and the mood swings, right?": Responding to the question "What is the downside of having a woman become the president of the United States?" Rudov said: "You mean besides the PMS and the mood swings, right?" (March 10) CHRIS KROK Gibson's guest host Krok called Obama a "steamy hot pile of crap wedged between two pieces of bread": Referring to Obama, Krok said: "This whole thing, you know what it is? It is Christmas morning and you wake up and there is a beautiful present beneath the tree. And it looks so beautiful it is awesome. It's like you're so excited and you're so everything, you know, 'Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama.' You're cheering, you're cheering, you're cheering, 'Obama, Obama, Obama.' And then you open up the present and you go, 'Oooh, I can't wait.' Your mouth is salivating, and watering, and you're getting so -- 'Ooooh.' And you get the present, and you get your hands -- 'Oh yeah.' And you're going to rip it up. You open it up, and then what is inside is a sandwich. And you get excited, 'Oh, a sandwich.' And you take a big bite of that sandwich. But what is it? What's inside of that sandwich? It is a stinking -- stinky, hot, steamy crap sandwich. It is a stinky, hot -- it is a steaming, hot pile of crap wedged between two pieces of bread. That is what Barack Obama is. He is a steamy crap sandwich. He is a fraud." (August 7) CHRIS BAKER Minneapolis radio host Baker on Pelosi's response to Wall Street crisis: "Another reason why it's very rare to find a woman worthy of serving in political office": "And Nancy Pelosi, that -- get another facelift, lady. She runs -- yesterday, they ask her, 'Do Democrats have any responsibility here?' And what does she say? 'No.' Another reason why it's very rare to find a woman worthy of serving in political office." (September 17) Minneapolis radio host Baker repeatedly called Obama "Nicolae Carpathia," the Antichrist character in the Left Behind series: Baker described Obama as "the Nicolae Carpathia candidate," "the Nicolae Carpathia of this election," and "the Nicolae Carpathia political Jesus." Carpathia is the Antichrist character in the Left Behind series of novels dealing with the "end times," the biblical tribulation described in the Book of Revelation. (September 23) Minneapolis radio host Baker: "I don't think homeless people should vote"; "I'm not that excited about women voting": "I don't think homeless people should vote. Frankly. In fact, I have to be very honest. I'm not that excited about women voting, to be honest. I'm not. OK? You know? But that's just me. I'm a pig, and that's fine. All right? And we'll see that, I'm sure, on a lame-ass website very soon. But I don't think hobos ought to vote at all. They're nuts. And I think that there needs to be a little more care in who votes." (October 2) Minneapolis radio hosts Baker and Perry are "convinced" that Magic Johnson "faked AIDS": Baker and fellow KLTK-FM host Langdon Perry agreed that "Magic faked AIDS," referring to former basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson, who announced in 1991 that he had tested HIV-positive: PERRY: What about diseases that are eminently treatable and you can live with for a long, long time quite healthily if you just get some basic drugs? BAKER: Like Magic Johnson. PERRY: Like Magic with his faked AIDS. Magic faked AIDS. BAKER: You think Magic faked AIDS for sympathy? PERRY: I'm convinced that Magic faked AIDS. BAKER: Yeah, me too. PERRY: It falls apart -- BAKER: Which is horrible. PERRY: -- when you get into motivation. I'm not sure why, but I'm pretty sure he faked AIDS. BAKER: I've got a great email here from -- PERRY: 'Cause he's the only cured AIDS guy ever. (October 8) MARK STEYN On Beck, Mark Steyn described Michelle Obama as "Kim Jong-Il dressed up with a bit of Oprah Winfrey dressing": "The right to be uninvolved, the right to be left alone is one of the most precious rights in a constitutional republic. And if she wants me to shed my cynicism, she's going to have to prize it from my cold, dead, cynical fingers. This is not -- this is [North Korean dictator] Kim Jong-Il dressed up with a bit of Oprah Winfrey dressing." (April 10) RUSH LIMBAUGH Limbaugh: "If Barack Obama were Caucasian, they would have taken this guy out on the basis of pure ignorance long ago": "I am just telling you, if this guy were Dan Quayle -- if he -- can I channel Geraldine Ferraro? If Barack Obama were Caucasian, they would have taken this guy out on the basis of pure ignorance long ago." (May 14) BILL O'REILLY O'Reilly: "It is not a stretch to say MoveOn is the new Klan": Responding to MoveOn.org's "Petition Against Fox's Racist & Hate-Filled Smears," O'Reilly said: "Obama must condemn organizations like MoveOn and the Daily Kos if he truly wants to run without a race component. These are the people that are dividing Americans along racial lines. It is not a stretch to say MoveOn is the new Klan." (July 23) JOHN MCLAUGHLIN McLaughlin echoes smear of Michelle Obama: "You don't think she's a black militant?": McLaughlin asked Chicago Tribune columnist Clarence Page: "Do you think Michelle -- do you think she leaves the impression -- not mine, but I've heard this -- that she has a chip on her shoulder? ... You don't think she's a black militant?" (February 24) McLaughlin: Obama "fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo -- a black on the outside, a white on the inside": "Question: Does it frost Jackson, Jesse Jackson, that someone like Obama, who fits the stereotype blacks once labeled as an Oreo -- a black on the outside, a white on the inside -- that an Oreo should be the beneficiary of the long civil rights struggle which Jesse Jackson spent his lifetime fighting for?" (July 11-13) LEE RODGERS KSFO's Rodgers: "[F]emale leadership of the Democratic Party" consists of "ugly skanks" who "hate" that "Sarah Palin's good-looking": "Look at these ugly skanks, who make up the female leadership of the Democratic Party. I mean, my God -- you know, guys sitting around, talking, perhaps in a bar someplace -- they have a way of scoring them. I know, it's sexist. It's sexist. It's unfair, and all of that, but they will look over a female who comes in and just make an announcement: How many drinks it would take before you'd jump her bones, you know. ... You look at most of the headline women of the Democratic Party, you're thinking, 'It's gotta be closing time and five drinks, and maybe not even then.' And that's what they're really PO'd about. [Gov.] Sarah Palin's good-looking and they hate that." (September 17) DON IMUS Imus: Obama is "almost a bigger pussy than" Clinton: While discussing the April 16 Democratic debate, Imus said, "I thought Senator Obama was on the defensive most of the night. But they're both sissy boys or sissy girls, or whatever. Because they talk big when they're out on the campaign trail, wolfing on each other. And then when they show up at the debate, they fold up like a couple of cheap lawn chairs. I mean, I don't understand that. And he's almost a bigger pussy than she [Hillary Clinton] is." (April 17) JIM QUINN Quinn called NOW the "National Organization for Whores," said columnist Fatimah Ali should "get an American name": "Yesterday, I said, I wonder how long it's going to be before one of these Alinskyites -- formerly known as Democrats -- one of these Alinskyites out there suggests that Sarah Palin is not really a woman. Remember [Sen.] Kay Bailey Hutchison [R-TX] was a female impersonator, according to the National Organization for Whores?" Later in the program, Quinn aired a clip of Fox News host and Washington managing editor Brit Hume discussing a Philadelphia Daily News column by Fatimah Ali. Following the clip, Quinn said: "[Y]ou know, Fatimah, what's your real name? Come on, seriously. I mean, get an American name, will you, if you want to be an American. You don't suppose she's a liberal black Muslim, do you?" (September 3) Quinn's solution to "Palestine issue": "[L]evel it and then salt the earth so that nothing grows for a thousand years": "There's only one way to settle the Palestine -- the Palestine issue," and that "is to level it and then salt the earth so that nothing grows for a thousand years, because that's how the Muslims would have treated each other, and did." (October 29) NEWT GINGRICH Gingrich: "[T]here is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us": "I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion." (November 14) G. GORDON LIDDY Liddy: Obama concentration camp will serve "ham hocks and turnip greens": G. Gordon Liddy spoke to a caller who stated: "I'm ready to go to the concentration camp, that [Sen. Barack] Obama's police force -- he will round me up. Because I -- I'm a white American." Liddy then said, "Well, listen to this," and aired an edited clip of Obama saying in a July 2 speech in Colorado Springs: "We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded." Liddy then stated: "Shades of the Gestapo. The Geheime Staatspolizei," to which the caller replied: "How's the cooking going to be? What will -- what will they serve, at the camp?" Liddy responded: "Well, I think, probably, there'll be ham hocks and turnip greens." (November 4) BRIAN SUSSMAN Question for KSFO's Sussman: Did Reagan's self-description as a "citizen ... of the world" make him the Antichrist, too?: Guest-hosting on The Lee Rodgers Show, Brian Sussman said of Obama's July 24 speech in Berlin, Germany, "As I was watching that speech, I could have sworn he was running for Antichrist." (July 28)

Hannity, Gingrich falsely suggested that Pelosi made unprecedented use of military plane -- but "practice began with Speaker Hastert"

On the December 4 broadcasts of his nationally syndicated radio program and his Fox News television program, Sean Hannity falsely suggested that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's use of a military jet for transportation was unprecedented. On the television program, Fox News contributor and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) claimed that Pelosi's use a military jet for transportation was a "misuse of Air Force personnel" and that "there's no practical reason for it." In fact, following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the Defense Department and the White House agreed that military planes should be made available to the speaker of the House for national security reasons, and the first speaker to use such a plane was Dennis Hastert (R-IL) in 2001. On the December 4 broadcast of his radio program, Hannity said of Pelosi (D-CA): "If we're all tightening our belts because of, you know, the current fiscal situation ... why is it we're not demanding that Princess Pelosi get off her private jet? Now, this all came up back when -- when she became speaker of the House. The Air Force transport plane -- you know what, Republicans said at the time, this is an extravagance. Nancy Pelosi, she requested it, she said: 'Oh no, it was actually the sergeant of arms for national security.' " Indeed, as Media Matters for America has noted, House Sergeant-at-Arms Wilson Livingood said in a February 8, 2007, statement: "In a post 9/11 threat environment, it is reasonable and prudent to provide military aircraft to the Speaker for official travel between Washington and her district. The practice began with Speaker Hastert and I have recommended that it continue with Speaker Pelosi." During the December 4 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Hannity asked Gingrich: "If everyone's so angry at corporate jet use and corporations that have perks, why isn't there that same anger at Speaker Pelosi? You didn't have a jet as a speaker, correct?" Gingrich responded: "That's right," and went on to add, "I don't think the speaker of the House should have an Air Force jet. I think it's a misuse of Air Force personnel. I think there's no practical reason for it. The speaker of the House is provided security, as I was and as Speaker Hastert has, and as they have been for much of modern times." Gingrich later said: "But you do not need to have a personal jet to run around. And in fact, I think that's fundamentally wrong because it distances a member of the House of Representatives from the public they serve." In fact, contrary to Gingrich's opinion that "there's no practical reason for" the speaker of the House to use military planes, according to former White House press secretary Tony Snow, the Defense Department and the White House agreed that military planes should be made available to the speaker of the House for national security reasons. As Media Matters has documented, during a February 7, 2007, White House press briefing, Snow was asked, "Does the President think it's a good idea that Speaker Pelosi have a large government military jet available to her to [fly] back and forth to California?" Snow responded: MR. SNOW: After September 11th, the Department of Defense -- with the consent of the White House -- agreed that the Speaker of the House should have military transport. And so what is going on is that the Department of Defense is going through its rules and regulations and having conversations with the Speaker about it. So Speaker Hastert had access to military aircraft and Speaker Pelosi will, too. Also, during a February 8, 2007, press briefing, Snow also stated that the White House's position is that Pelosi "is entitled to military transport" and that "[i]t is important for the Speaker to have this kind of protection and travel": MR. SNOW: [A]s 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. From the December 4 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes: HANNITY: I agree with that wholeheartedly, Mr. Speaker. I want to go back to the issue what I was bringing up earlier. I want you to explain one thing to me. If everyone's so angry at corporate jet use and corporations that have perks, why isn't there that same anger at Speaker Pelosi? You didn't have a jet as a speaker, correct? GINGRICH: That's right. HANNITY: You didn't have one. You didn't have one to take -- GINGRICH: No, and I -- look, and I opposed giving one. I don't think the speaker of the House should have an Air Force jet. I think it's a misuse of Air Force personnel. I think there's no practical reason for it. The speaker of the House is provided security, as I was and as Speaker Hastert has, and as -- HANNITY: Yes. GINGRICH: -- they have been for much of modern times. They should have security. And one of the people on the security detail carries a classified satellite phone that enables you to be in direct touch with the president or the Pentagon -- HANNITY: Absolutely. GINGRICH: -- or whatever. HANNITY: That's important. GINGRICH: But you do not need to have a personal jet to run around. And in fact, I think that's fundamentally wrong because it distances a member of the House of Representatives from the public they serve. From the December 4 broadcast of ABC Radio Networks' The Sean Hannity Show: HANNITY: If we're going to be upset about corporate excesses, if we're going to be upset when corporations spend the retirement and corporate execs get to go to jail if they misappropriate retirement funds for former employees -- and this has happened -- then why shouldn't the same standards apply for politicians? If we're all tightening our belts because of, you know, the current fiscal situation -- in large part, I argue, caused by Democrats, the subprime mortgage crisis, their redistribution of wealth policies, their forcing banks to make risky loans -- why is it we're not demanding that Princess Pelosi get off her private jet? Now, this all came up back when -- when she became speaker of the House. The Air Force transport plane -- you know what, Republicans said at the time, this is an extravagance. Nancy Pelosi, she requested it, she said: "Oh no, it was actually the sergeant of arms for national security." Newt Gingrich -- I called him yesterday. I said: did you ever have a private jet? He said: No, I never did. He never did. He never had a private jet. So, if he -- it wasn't that long ago. He was speaker in the 1990s. I don't see why Nancy Pelosi needs one today. And it's co -- I would like somebody to release how many times has she used the jet, what trips has she taken. So far, her office is not forthcoming with all the different hours that they've had there. You know, so she's pushing for a private jet. Now there's another issue.

Vanity Fair's Hitchens somehow missed ample evidence that Clinton is respected by military leaders

On the November 18 edition of MSNBC's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, David Gregory hosted Vanity Fair's Christopher Hitchens to discuss the possible appointment of Sen. Hillary Clinton as secretary of state. During the discussion, Hitchens stated of Clinton: "It's true that she's got a major name on the world stage. That's true by definition. It's only true that she's respected in the Pentagon if people go around saying so. I've never heard that before, I must say." In fact, media outlets have previously reported that Clinton "has gained a lot of respect among military leadership" and has "built relationships" with military leaders such as Gen. David H. Petraeus and Adm. William J. Fallon. Further, Clinton received the endorsement of numerous retired generals and admirals during her 2008 presidential campaign. There have been numerous media reports that Clinton is respected by military leaders, including the following: On March 27, 2007, The New York Times reported: "Privately, two current military leaders who have testified before the Armed Services committee, and who by custom do not comment publicly on political figures, said they both found Mrs. Clinton conversant about the military and thoughtful in her questions." The Times further reported: Active-duty generals have sought her out, and she has reached out to them. Among those with whom she has built relationships are Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top commander in Iraq, and Adm. William J. Fallon, the new head of Central Command. Recently, too, James T. Conway, the commandant of the Marines, invited her to be his guest of honor at the "Sunset Parade" at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Washington, a high-profile tradition. (She has accepted.) In an August 20, 2006, cover story, Time reported that, "When Hillary was first elected, General John Keane, then Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, sought an audience" with Clinton and that "[w]hen he finally got in to see her, however, the meeting did not go as he had expected. For starters, it lasted 45 minutes. 'She committed immediately to West Point and the 10th Mountain Division, with follow-up on-site visits,' he says. 'But it was her enormous depth of knowledge about the military and her sincerity about our people which surprised and disarmed me.'" On the January 27, 2007, edition of CNBC's Tim Russert (accessed via Nexis), NBC chief Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski stated: And what may be surprising to quite a few Americans is the fact that Hillary Clinton has gained a lot of respect among military leadership because she seems to be more measured and thoughtful in terms of her dealing with the military. And when she was criticized for criticizing, herself, the U.S. plan in Iraq while she was in Baghdad, many compared her to Hanoi Jane when -- you know, during the Vietnam War. What she did is she was essentially telling the American people what the generals just told her in private. So it took me by surprise when I started hearing from some of the officers in the military, saying, "You know, that Hillary makes a good point." A December 12, 2005, Newsweek article (accessed via Nexis) reported: It is no accident that hawks inside and outside the military are reconsidering Hillary Clinton. She may have entered the Senate in 2001 with three strikes against her -- she was a woman, a Democrat and a Clinton. But Senator Clinton immediately began a methodical campaign to undo her image as a dovish liberal with no interest in military affairs. Post 9/11, she was quick to recognize that Democrats -- and especially one all but openly running for president -- were vulnerable on defense issues. It was a trap she has seemed determined to avoid. [...] For her efforts, she has begun to win respect within military circles. Retired Gen. Jack Keane, the former vice chief of the Army whom she's consulted about Iraq, says he's praised her to "the guys"--meaning the Pentagon brass. In addition, a May 10, 2005, Village Voice article (accessed via Nexis) quoted former House Speaker Newt Gingrich saying of Clinton: "Senator Clinton is very competent, very professional, very intelligently moving toward the center, very shrewdly and effectively serving on the Armed Services Committee," and quoted Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution saying, "She's doing a fantastic job, and I'm not in any way a Hillary fan." The article added: "Neither are Republican members on Armed Services. Yet Clinton has managed to impress them with her thoughtfulness and knowledge. John Ullyot, the spokesperson for the Armed Services Republicans, calls the New York senator 'a very valued member of the committee.' " Further undermining Hitchens' suggestion that Clinton is not respected by the military, Clinton was endorsed by numerous retired generals and admirals during her 2008 presidential campaign. Clinton also received the Military Coalition's 2005 Award of Merit, the Military Coalition's "highest honor" bestowed by the group, which is "comprised of 35 organizations representing more than 5.5 million members of the uniformed services -- active, reserve, retired, survivors, veterans -- and their families." From the November 18 edition of MSNBC's 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue: HITCHENS: At least on health care, she knows enough about the subject to have really changed American health care for the worse in her time. But foreign policy - DAVID GREGORY (host): And, yet - HITCHENS: -- about foreign policy, she doesn't even know that much. GREGORY: But, she's respected in the Pentagon. She's certainly -- HITCHENS: Says -- it's true if you say so. GREGORY: -- has an important name - an import - an important name on the world stage. HITCHENS: That's true. GREGORY: And is more hawkish than the president she might serve. HITCHENS: It's true that she's got a major name on the world stage. That's true by definition. It's only true that she's respected in the Pentagon if people go around saying so. I've never heard that before, I must say. On some things, she's more hawkish than the president-elect, yes. But she tends to have acquired this reputation in what I'd call an opportunist manner. I mean, who - who really thinks that she felt that strongly about Iraq? She just didn't want to cast her vote the other way. GREGORY: We'll leave it there.

Gingrich: "[T]here is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us"

On the November 14 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, in reference to actions by individual protesters of Proposition 8, the recently passed California ballot initiative amending the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich stated: "I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion." Gingrich also stated: "[W]hen the radicals lost the vote in California, they are determined to impose their will on this country no matter what the popular opinion, no matter what the law of the land." As Media Matters for America noted, after a caller said on the November 10 broadcast of The Savage Nation that "[h]omosexuals and homosexual marriage is a choice," host Michael Savage declared: "[I]t's a lifestyle or a death-style choice, depending upon how you look at it." Media Matters recently compiled numerous other examples of conservative talk radio hosts issuing smears pertaining to sexual orientation or targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans. From the November 14 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor: O'REILLY: OK, now, the culture war. I know you've been flying around the country, and you're doing stuff. In the last three or four days, this is really nasty stuff. I mean, you know, hyper -- we're gonna show you some of the video. A woman getting a cross smashed out of her hand. We had a church in Michigan invaded by gay activists. We're gonna show you the video on Monday of that -- we have exclusively. We had a guy in Sacramento fired from his job. We had boycotts called on restaurants. I mean, it is getting out of control, very few days after the election. How do you assess that? GINGRICH: Look, I think there is a gay and secular fascism in this country that wants to impose its will on the rest of us, is prepared to use violence, to use harassment. I think it is prepared to use the government if it can get control of it. I think that it is a very dangerous threat to anybody who believes in traditional religion. And I think if you believe in historic Christianity, you have to confront the fact. And, frank -- for that matter, if you believe in the historic version of Islam or the historic version of Judaism, you have to confront the reality that these secular extremists are determined to impose on you acceptance of a series of values that are antithetical, they're the opposite, of what you're taught in Sunday school. O'REILLY: Are you surprised at the speed of it? You figure that there'd be -- GINGRICH: Oh, I -- O'REILLY: -- a two-week breathing, you know -- wham. GINGRICH: No. I think -- I think when the left -- when the radicals lost the vote in California, they are determined to impose their will on this country no matter what the popular opinion, no matter what the law of the land. You've watched them, for example, in Massachusetts, basically drive the Catholic Church out of running adoption services, drive Catholic hospitals out of offering any services, because they impose secular rules that are fundamentally -- O'REILLY: Yeah, and that's -- right -- GINGRICH: -- sinful from the standpoint, you know. O'REILLY: Of the church -- GINGRICH: And so I think, we need -- look, we need a debate. [Gingrich's wife] Calista [Gingrich] and I just did a YouTube video on the Capitol Visitors Center where there's also an effort to take "In God We Trust" out of the Capitol Visitors Center. O'REILLY: OK, we'll talk about that when we come back. GINGRICH: That's how bad it is. O'REILLY: All right, so when we come back, I want to talk about the economy, which is frightening everybody. I want to talk about the illegal alien amnesty, and we'll talk about the "In God We Trust," all right. We'll have more with the speaker in a moment.

Gingrich falsely touted GOP governors of Utah and Indiana for "lowest unemployment rates in their respective regions"

During the November 16 broadcast of CBS' Face the Nation, former House Speaker and Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich said that Republicans "who are about to face this question of, how do you get the economy growing again" should ask Republican governors Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Jon Huntsman of Utah, "[H]ow did they get to the lowest unemployment rate in their respective regions?" However, the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics records show that Gingrich's claim is false. In fact, neither Utah nor Indiana has the lowest unemployment rate in its region, and several states with lower unemployment rates are governed by Democrats. In Utah -- defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of the Western Region -- the unemployment rate was 3.5 percent in September, higher than that of Wyoming, which had an unemployment rate of 3.3 percent under Democratic Governor Dave Freudenthal. Indiana -- defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of the Midwest Region -- had an unemployment rate of 6.2 percent in September, ranking eighth out of 12 Midwestern states. Iowa (4.2 percent), Kansas (4.8 percent), Minnesota (5.9 percent), Nebraska (3.5 percent), North Dakota (3.6 percent), South Dakota (3.2 percent), and Wisconsin (5 percent) all posted lower unemployment rates than Indiana's in September. Three of those states -- Iowa, Kansas, and Wisconsin -- have Democratic governors. From the November 16 edition of CBS' Face the Nation: LOUISIANA GOV. BOBBY JINDAL (R): Oh, well, sure, no -- I think it's great that Sarah Palin is speaking out. I think it's great that the governors that the speaker mentioned were -- are speaking out. I think the future -- I think the governors are gonna play a great role. And I think that, you know, our folks in Washington are gonna have important work to do, but I don't think all the answers and wisdom are gonna be in Washington, D.C. So, I think it's a great thing that she's speaking out. I think we're - BOB SCHIEFFER (host): How do you feel about that -- JINDAL: -- going to need multiple governors. SCHIEFFER: How do you feel about that, Mr. Gingrich? GINGRICH: I mean, first of all, Governor Palin is a real asset to the Republican Party. She brought enormous energy to the party. She attracted very large crowds. But I would say, for example, to the Republicans who are about to face this question of, how do you get the economy growing again? Bring in Governor [Mitch] Daniels [R-IN] and bring in Governor [Jon] Huntsman [R-UT], and ask them, you know, how did they get to the lowest unemployment rate in their respective regions? Go back to a principled approach. If you don't understand health care, you can do a lot worse than to bring in Bobby Jindal who, maybe, may well know more about health policy than any other elected official in America and is doing an extraordinary job in Louisiana. If you want to look at education reform, you can look at Governor [Sonny] Perdue in Georgia, you can look at Governor Haley Barbour in Mississippi. There are a lot of people doing smart things. The natural pattern in the news media is gonna be they know how to spell Sarah Palin's name. They've got it locked in their word processor. She's gonna be a much bigger story in the short run. But, I think, as she goes back to being governor, and as she works in Alaska, you're gonna see a group of governors emerge -- not just Sarah Palin. And there are 36 governorships up in 2010. And I think focusing on rebuilding the Republican Party from state legislature and governor to Senate and House is the right model. And I think that the Republican Governors Association is probably more important than the Republican National Committee in trying to get this done. SCHIEFFER: So, you do not see her as the de facto leader of the party at this point? GINGRICH: No, she's a wonderfully intelligent, aggressive, hard-working person who got, you know, hammered very badly by the press.

Growing list of successful pot smokers

Journalist Radley Balko makes fun of the Office of National Drug Control Policy's new anti-pot disinformation campaign, which "suggest that drug users can look forward to a career as a 'burrito taster,' a 'couch security guard,' or 'remote control operator.' Balko calls it "an incredibly lame campaign, [which] reeks of stodgy wonks making a desperate attempt to look hip." Here?s my challenge to Agitator readers, bloggers, and others: In this comments thread, let?s compile a master list of admitted pot smokers?current or former?who not only haven?t ended up as heroin junkies or burnouts, but have gone on to lead successful lives. If the person is famous, include a link. But feel free to add yourselves and what you do now, too, if you fit the criteria. School teacher? Cop? Stay at home mom? Grad student? Count yourself in. You can leave out your name if you like. Or include it. Either way. I?ll get it started: Barack Obama, president-elect. Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the U.S. John Kerry, U.S. Senator and 2004 Democratic nominee for president. John Edwards, multi-millionaire, former U.S. Senator, and 2004 Democratic nominee for vice president. Sarah Palin, governor of Alaska, 2008 Republican nominee for vice president. British Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, and and Chancellor Alistair Darling. Josh Howard, NBA all-star. New York Governor David Paterson. Former Vice President, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and Oscar winner Al Gore. Former Sen. Bill Bradley, who smoked while playing professional basketball. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, and former New York Governor George Pataki. Billionaire and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Help Radley add to the list of successful potheads: Successful Pot Smokers: Let?s Make a List...