Hopeless_in_GA
665 Neighbor of the Beast
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2002
- Posts
- 94
Sen. Harking Butts in Line at Reagan Nat'l Airport
Omaha World Herald ^ | June 25, 2003
Sen. Tom Harkin has come under fire for butting in line at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Harkin, D-Iowa, used his position as a U.S. senator to skip to the front of a long security line at the airport Friday, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
The newspaper's "Reliable Source" column said other travelers were upset when Harkin went to the front of the line.
Allison Dobson, Harkin's press secretary, said Harkin had to vote Friday on amendments to the Medicare prescription drug bill and was running late to catch a flight to Des Moines.
He arrived at the airport 15 minutes before his Midwest Express flight to Des Moines, Dobson said. It is the only direct flight from Washington to Des Moines, and there is only one a day.
Had he missed the flight, Harkin would have had to take an American Airlines flight that left after noon, Dobson said. After a connection in Chicago, Harkin would have arrived in Des Moines about 4:30 p.m. and would have missed three scheduled events.
"Sen. Harkin really wanted to get to Des Moines and really didn't want to disappoint everybody," she said. "When he got to the Midwest Express gate, he said, 'Boy, I'm really late,' and so they escorted him to the head of the security line."
Dobson said Harkin felt bad that other people were waiting.
"But at the same time," she said, "I think he was really concerned about disappointing people at three events."
Omaha World Herald ^ | June 25, 2003
Sen. Tom Harkin has come under fire for butting in line at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C.
Harkin, D-Iowa, used his position as a U.S. senator to skip to the front of a long security line at the airport Friday, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
The newspaper's "Reliable Source" column said other travelers were upset when Harkin went to the front of the line.
Allison Dobson, Harkin's press secretary, said Harkin had to vote Friday on amendments to the Medicare prescription drug bill and was running late to catch a flight to Des Moines.
He arrived at the airport 15 minutes before his Midwest Express flight to Des Moines, Dobson said. It is the only direct flight from Washington to Des Moines, and there is only one a day.
Had he missed the flight, Harkin would have had to take an American Airlines flight that left after noon, Dobson said. After a connection in Chicago, Harkin would have arrived in Des Moines about 4:30 p.m. and would have missed three scheduled events.
"Sen. Harkin really wanted to get to Des Moines and really didn't want to disappoint everybody," she said. "When he got to the Midwest Express gate, he said, 'Boy, I'm really late,' and so they escorted him to the head of the security line."
Dobson said Harkin felt bad that other people were waiting.
"But at the same time," she said, "I think he was really concerned about disappointing people at three events."
