Submariner Assesses 'Almost Air Force One' Comfort Capsules

WASHINGTON — Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman has vowed to hold Air Force officials accountable for using terror funds so their top brass can fly like millionaire jet-setters.

Our resident cartoonist, Juan Caruso, could not come up with a submarine admiral's equivalent of the Air Force's Senior Leader Intransit Comfort Capsule (SLICC).




There's just too little spare room on submarines, Caruso says. Stuff like this just does not 'get it' on U.S. subs. We are more of a fraternity, we endure and share together.


Completely baffled by what the submarine equivalent to the Air Force's latest SNAFU would even look like, Caruso offered what he thought was going to be a satire. The more we checked, however, the more factual it looks, however.

We could not find out, however, if the cabin slippers for female senior leadership were the same hue as those for males (Air Force off-blue)! Another undetermined fact is why Navy procurement did not handle the contract for this critical, terror budget item (estimate for prototype SLICC went to $2.735 million, from a 2006 estimate of $1.743 million.


Surely the former Secretary of the Air Force could have considered accessorizing these at under 1/10th the expense incurred. Perhaps the comfort capsule concept originated out of consideration for female senior leaders (recall House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's request for a non-stop Air Force commuting jet last year). Either way, the AF generals may want to start monitoring their T-levels more closely.





We have heard of subs and telltale oil slicks, but never comfort capsules. Anyone with compelling ideas of luxury on a fast attack boat is welcomed to advise the rest of us.





Submarines are always silent and strange.