NYC Letter: The Superlative Congress, Part VII

UPDATE 01.30.10:

WASHINGTON GONE WILD!
"Crazy Conga Lines! Pricey Booze! Imported Beef!"

PARTY ANIMAL-IN-CHIEF!
President Barack Obama Has Blown $10 Million
On Drunken White House Parties
January 26, 2010 (GLOBE)

[Hat tip: Duncan]

Oh my. This may explain this recent bad call and Mr. Obama's sottish optimism heading into November.

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Day 374 of CHOPE

Everybody has to make a sacrifice. If you’re asking everybody else in the country...to cut back, then I think we have to subject every federal dollar to the very harshest scrutiny.

Nancy Pelos (D-CA, 8th),
Speaker of the House, arguing a spending freeze
should apply to all government spending
January 27, 2010 (Politico)

Let's take a look.

TAXPAYERS PAY $101,000
FOR PELOSI'S IN-FLIGHT 'FOOD, BOOZE'
Speaker's Trips 'Are More About Partying Than Anything Else'

January 29, 2010 (WND) - It reads like a dream order for a wild frat party: Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier cognac, Johnny [sic] Walker Red scotch, Grey Goose vodka, E&J brandy, Bailey's Irish Crème, Bacardi Light rum, Jim Beam whiskey, Beefeater gin, Dewars [sic] scotch, Bombay Sapphire gin, Jack Daniels whiskey … and Corona beer.

But that single receipt makes up just part of the more than $101,000 taxpayers paid for "in-flight services" – including food and liquor, for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trips on Air Force jets over the last two years. That's almost $1,000 per week.

The sacrifices! Maker's Mark and Jim Beam and not Basil Hayden's; Courvoisier and not Louis XIII; Johnnie Walker Red not Johnnie Walker Blue; Grey Goose and not Cîroc; E&J not Asbach Uralt; Bailey's Irish Crème but no Amarula; Bacardi Light instead of Clément X.O.; Beefeater and not Tanqueray Ten; Dewar's not Glenfarclas 50; Bombay Sapphire and not Magellan; Jack Daniels instead of single-barrel Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit ... Corona instead of Sam Adams, an American beer.*

Such are Ms. Pelosi's sacrifices when getting sloshed. Ever mindful of the public purse, the Speaker thoughtfully makes do with pedestrian up-scale brands for her coast-to-coast drinking parties.**

Judicial Watch said the newly obtained 2,000 pages of documentation show Pelosi's military travel cost the U.S. Air Force $2,100,744.59 over two years – including $101,429.14 for in-flight expenses, including food and alcohol.

... Pelosi used Air Force aircraft to travel back to her district at an average cost of

$28,210.51 per flight.

Of 103 Pelosi-led congressional delegations (CODEL), 31 trips included members of the House speaker's family.

Pelosi's office could not be reached for comment. The answering machine said the office would be closed until Monday, and the mailbox was full, so no messages could be left.

And now a reminder.

The American people have an anger about the growth of the deficit because they're not getting anything for it.

Nancy Pelosi,
architect of historic Congressional spends,
acknowledging historic Congressional misspending
November 25, 2009 (FNC)

Ms. Pelosi seems to have caught the hint, her boozy profligacy notwithstanding. Why not drop the besotted Speaker a line here -- or better yet, give her a call, 202.225.0100 -- to thank her for her contributions to the deficit. Be sure to tell her your availabiity for drinks.

CHOPE.

The Speaker is not available. Leave a message. Chump.

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* Perhaps Ms. Pelosi's ongoing "Lost Weekend" explains imbecilic pronouncements like this. Or this. Or this. We're not saying, we're just saying.

** You need an office appointment for the good stuff.

Pelosi, who has come under fire in the past for spending on flowers [$2,993 between June and October of last year], also spent roughly $30,610 in food and beverage and about $2,740 on bottled water, contributing to the nearly $120,531 total from all congressional leadership accounts. Her offices defended the charges, saying the Speaker’s office holds more ceremonial events with visiting dignitaries than other congressional offices.

Posted by Damian at January 29, 2010 11:45 PM