Air Force Three?

Ya got yur Air Force One that carries the President. Ya got the Air Force Two that carries the Vice President. However, there is a new diva in town and she trading in her broom for a big shiny jet. Yes, dear readers, we are haggling over Air Force Three. That's right, HRH Nancy Pelosi is demanding the use of Air Force planes and staff to romp between Washington and Kallyfornia. She wants a jet that will travel non-stop between the two locales. Seems the 12 passenger business type jet, a C-20 in military parlance, (Gulfstream III to us commoners) used by former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert is just not up to snuff. It requires a re-fueling stop in the middle of the country. We all know how those pesky stops in flyover country are so, shall we say, pedestrian.

The Washington Times first reported last week that Mrs. Pelosi's staff was pressing the Department of Defense for an Air Force aircraft large enough to fly nonstop to San Francisco. She also has pressed to be able to include other members of the California congressional delegation, her family members and her staff on the plane.

"It's not a question of size. It's a question of distance," Mrs. Pelosi told reporters yesterday. "We want an aircraft that can reach California."

So what's the beef? Just get the next size up type jet that can make the trip, right. Nope. HRH Pelosi has requested to be chauffeured hither and yon in a C-32. That's the military name for what we call a Boeing 757-200. That's right a huge commercial type business jet that generally carries 300+ passengers for our Nancy and her entourage.

My Navy pilot friends say “Without ammunition, the USAF would be just another expensive flying club.”. Apparently it is, and HRH Pelosi is knocking at the door.

UPDATE: Instapundit is all over this topic...even the GlowBall Warming angle!!

UPDATE II: Apparently size does matter..... we have this from an emailer to NRO;
I am a Navy pilot, fully qualified in Gulfstream III, V, and 550 series aircraft. The military calls them the C-20D, C-37A and C-37B respectively.The G-III can easily reach California from Washington DC. The larger G-V and 550 can fly from Washington DC to Honolulu non-stop.