That four-man Get McCain desk is really in overdrive.
They forgot to look in their own archives for what they said about T H-Kerry loaning her jet to JFK:
“Some aspects of Ms. Heinz Kerry’s wealth have been exaggerated in news reports. Her private jet, for instance, is often described as a “$35 million Gulfstream V” model. In fact, said a broker with knowledge of the sale, it is a Gulfstream II, bought used in 1993 for about $3 million, the low end of the scale for private jets. It is hardly a cheap item, costing about $1.5 million a year to operate. Mr. Kerry rarely flies on it, preferring to take commercial flights on his routine trips to and from Washington, said David Wade, a Kerry spokesman.
Ms. Heinz Kerry bought the jet in the wake of her husband’s death in a charter plane crash in 1991, because she believed owning their own plane would make her and her family members safer, said Grant Oliphant, the associate director of the Heinz Endowments.
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So here we see TimesSpeak in action when a defense of the exact same activity is desired.
1. It’s not really a high-end Gulfstream V, it’s just a lowly Gulfstream II, for chrissakes! Don’t you rubes know your Twos from your Fives? The II, for example, only seats 12 and cruises at a pokey 425 miles per hour. The V, in stark contrast with the II, cruises at 550 miles per hour(!). Do you what a difference that extra speed makes when you’re flying to Davos? Plus the II can’t reach Bali without refueling at least once. This is a huge inconvenience for a busy senator.
2. This low-end jet that seats 12 and flies at 425 miles per hour was bought used! Practically purchased at the Methodist Hospital White Elephant store.
3. Sen. Kerry doesn’t actually use it all that much, as he prefers commercial according to his spokesman. [Ed: Is it possible someone at the Times actually took down that quote without laughing?]
4. After all, THK’s first husband died on one of those low-end corporate jets, and even it were a bit expensive for some, it’s only because she’s afraid and wants the important senator from Mass. (and her husband, natch) to be safe.
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Okay class. For extra credit, re-write the first article like the second one and we’ll be able to see what happens when Barak Obama is caught on George Soros’s jet.
