What are eight private jets when you’re a trillionaire?

Every so often the trillionaires in Congress do something that, even by their own standards, is unexplainably idiotic. This is one of those times.

Bipartisan opposition is emerging in the Senate to a plan by House lawmakers to spend $550 million for additional passenger jets for senior government officials.

The resistance to buying eight Gulfstream and Boeing planes comes as members of both chambers of Congress embark on the busiest month of the year for official overseas travel. The plan to upgrade the fleet of government jets, which was included in a broader defense-funding bill, has also sparked criticism from the Pentagon, which has said it doesn’t need half of the new jets. – Wall Street Journal

The real kicker here is that when the story first broke a couple weeks ago, the jet order was for four new Gulfstreams. Apparently this was viewed as such a great idea by House leadership that they just went ahead and doubled the order. Was there really no one in the room when this decision was made who thought, ‘gee, maybe buying eight private jets with taxpayer money during a recession will make us look elitist and out of touch. Nah.’

These are the issues that kill you. It’s not the money, Congress is considering a budget with a $1.75 trillion deficit and a $1 trillion health care plan as a following act to a $787 billion stimulus bill and a $500 billion earmark-riddled appropriations bill. I’m not losing any sleep over $550 million in private jets. It’s the best deal that taxpayers got all year.

The political downside for Democrats is inescapable. These are the issues that draw attention to the bigger ones I just mentioned. The frivelous purchase of eight private jets reframes the spenders of everything else as out of touch and pollutes Democrat’s message that we “needed” to spend trillions on those other things just like we “need” to spend millions on private jets. It’s devastating to their credibility.

This issue probably won’t help get Democrat Congressman, currently on the lam from angry voters and taxpayers, out of hiding for the rest of the August recess. But at least they can make a quick getaway in their new G5.