Informant38

blasted, disputed:

Reps. Darrell Issa, Duncan Hunter and Brian Bilbray — all California Republicans — this week blasted a California policy that requires a "military helicopter manager" to sit aboard flights of military helicopters that are joining state firefighting efforts.
[...]
Michael Padilla, chief of aviation for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection — or Cal-Fire — disputed the lawmakers' assertion in a telephone interview.
Padilla said anyone saying those helicopters were sidelined by the policy alone are "absolutely wrong. Those aircraft could have been used had they had properly trained crews" and proper equipment

Simmons/FOXNews 26.Oct.07
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slams
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demanding
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accusing
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disgusting, inexcusable foot-dragging
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CAL FIRE
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Without knowing anything else about it, I'd way rather be on a fireline under the current CAL FIRE chain of command than anywhere doing anything under any of the asshole politicians so obviously trying to get leverage and recognition off this disaster.