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General Kelly Doesn’t Have a Problem at the UN
I listened to “3 Martini Lunch” before going to bed tonight. It would seem the General Kelly has been calling in cabinet-level secretaries over the poor optics of their expenses. I flew to Newark last night from Atlanta. I am proud to report that Ambassador Nikki Haley flew two rows back from me in economy. She’s doing her part.
P.S. I was in economy too.
Published in General
Did you go say hello and shake her hand?
And tell her that we all admire her on Ricochet?
No, I’m inclined to not bother people on airplanes when I see them. She looks very tired I figured I’d let her enjoy her space and place and time sitting at the window seat.
Now, having said that. There’s a time long long ago when I sat beside Terry Bradshaw on a flight. I told him about my affinity for the Oakland Raiders we laughed and had a good time. Halfway through the flight this little girl comes up and asked Bradshaw if she can have his autograph. Bradshaw being a very gracious individual said “of course little lady what is your name? “. She gave him her name and he wrote something to the effect of “best wishes Anne from Terry Bradshaw”. The little girl took the napkin made a couple couple steps away turned around with the look of horror on her face and said “you mean you’re not hulk hogan?” You had to be there.
I admire your restraint. I’d have squee-ed and insisted on a double ‘selfie’ to post on the Loyal Order of Nikkiacs Fan Club Ricochet group.
I’m not convinced about “poor optics” being the winning argument if cabinet secretaries’ (including Nikki Haley) personal security gets properly factored in.
We’ve already gone past 60 comments on Peter Robinson’s newest post on the Main Feed, where an OP featuring Hillary sliming at least half the American electorate has occasioned Discussion-Thread observations on how vicious the anti-Trump half of the electorate can be, to the point of acting in ways that foment civil war.
Add in any number of non-citizens floating around in the Lower 48 (whether legally or not), and the security risks to a variety of cabinet-level officials expand and intensify considerably. Think, for instance, of a radicalized supporter of the Palestinian cause arriving Stateside from his home in the UK (where he is a full UK subject), in order to trail Nikki Haley in order to do her lethal harm.
Optics are certainly important, and indeed on substance it’s preferable that cabinet officers comport themselves in a way that is sincere beyond the optics. But prudence shouldn’t be sacrificed for it.
Given how small economy seats have gotten, I am getting to the point where I think a business class seat is practically an OSHA requirement, especially on long trips.
I flew to Costa Rica about a month ago economy seating. Yes it was not real comfortable but then I thought of all the things that I have done in my life that were really uncomfortable and those hours in the plane seemed like a day at the beach. There was a day I could have done it standing on my head.
I have flown two million miles in first class and am too cheap and unaccomplished to pay for one of those tickets. Ninety percent of first-class travelers are upgraded. Who with any business sense would pay $1100 to fly from LaGuardia to Denver on United to have a sumptuous breakfast of Farmland yogurt and worse-the-street-cart bakery items and fit their feet around the Rube Goldberg utility boxes under every first class seat?
Haley is the most important young political leader in the country. She should be flying first class with an additional and very well-trained and equipped flight attendant standing by her at all times.
@guruforhire no kidding. I’m a big guy. I hate the exit row seats because the tray table is in the arm rest which takes about two inches (that I don’t have to give) away from the width of the seat. Aisle seat forward of the engines for me.
I won’t get into any of the details about her security except to say that it was pretty good. It’s a short hop flight, she could have made it at the last minute. If so, then I respect her even more for not pulling rank.
I got on a flight once from Vegas to Reagan National. I was going out to visit my husband, who was till living in Maryland, after I’d moved out West to be nearer the grandchildren. I was hired to teach 4th grade in Sin City. (Hubby moved to join me about six months later.) But…I was reading a book about Lincoln, and the man across the aisle from me leaned over to asked me how I liked the book. We struck up a conversation, chatted a bit, and then both went back to our books. Immediately, the people behind our seats leaned up to shake his hand, and greet him, and offer their admiration.
Yeah…John Ashcroft, former attorney general of the United States. It was about seven months after he had resigned from the office. He was just a private citizen at that point, flying from St. Louis, where our flight had made a stop.
He had seemed somewhat familiar to me when we talked…doh.
Are you a midget? Or adept at yoga?
I am 5’10” and until they give us back some leg room, I will never fly again.
6’ 1” Actually. At my age I get a lot of exercise going up and down the aisle to the head. I am not big on flying myself but it’s a long drive to Costa Rica.
Nikki. President. Think about it.