FBI Chief Flying High In Anti-Terror Jet

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Mueller has flown the Gulfstream V jet to more than three dozen locations since 2003 – accounting for nearly one-quarter of the flight time for "the lone FBI jet able to make international flights."

The FBI, in its request to Congress for $3.6 million to maintain and fuel the jet, said the aircraft – "packed with state-of-the-art security and communications gear" – was needed to fly counterterrorism agents on "crucial missions" into Iraq. The bureau said the jet has had a "tremendous impact" on the war on terrorism by flying agents to "fast-moving investigations and crisis situations" in places like Afghanistan.

Officials at the FBI admitted that Mueller's use of the Gulfstream was a "marked departure" from the travel routine of previous FBI directors, who usually took commercial flights or used a smaller FBI Cessna jet. They also said FBI security and logistics advisers have urged Mueller to use the Gulfstream, and that he always checks to make sure the jet isn't needed for terrorism operations.

"He is the CEO of the FBI's part in the war on terror," Assistant Director John Miller told the Post. "That means every trip he makes … furthers the operational mission of the bureau."

Still, lawmakers have expressed concerns that the jet isn't being used for its intended purpose.

"If the FBI wanted a jet to fly the director around, then it shouldn't try to justify the plane as a weapon in the war on terror," said Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this column erroneously reported that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi requested the use of a military transport plane to fly her between Washington and her home district in California. That request was made by the House sergeant-at-arms, not Speaker Pelosi. We regret the error.

Reading The Campaign Tea Leaves

The latest presidential campaign poll shows former Rudy Giuliani still pacing the Republican field, but conservatives starting to flock to Fred Thompson, who has yet to formally enter the race.

A new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll finds Giuliani, the former New York mayor, with support from 27 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning Independents, while Thompson, the "Law & Order" actor and former Tennessee senator, comes in at 21 percent.

The poll has bad news for the other main GOP contenders, Sen. John McCain and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who are well back at 12 percent and 10 percent, respectively.

On the Democratic side, Sen. Hillary Clinton continues to hold a solid lead over Sen. Barack Obama, 33 percent to 22 percent.

But there's troubling news for the Clinton campaign, too. Obama fares significantly better than Clinton in hypothetical general election match-ups with Republicans. While Giuliani would defeat Clinton, 49-39 percent, Obama has a 46-41 percent edge in a showdown with Giuliani. Democrat John Edwards would also defeat Giuliani 46-43 percent, the poll found.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports that Clinton's lead over Obama and the rest of the Democratic pack "is due largely to one factor: her support from women."

In fact, the most recent Post poll shows that her 15-point edge over Obama "is entirely attributable" to her 2-to1 advantage among female voters.

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