do the right thing
Nov. 30th, 2003 06:11 amThe more we learn about Our Fearless Leader's trip to Iraq, the more it looks as if Our Fearless Leader has managed to snatch ignominy from the jaws of doing the right thing.
Adam Felber explains:
I myself was impressed by this
I hope Col. Tilman brought a set of wings to pin on Our Fearless Leader for being such a brave little airman.
Oh, wait, he used to have a set of those, didn't he?
Adam Felber explains:
It wasn't exactly "Hail to the Chief." It was more "He Came in Through the Bathroom Window." [And yes, he was, as always, protected by a silver spoon...]
He had to sneak into a country that he "conquered" half a year ago. The cover of night and ultra-high security and secrecy were needed to make this surprise visit possible. And now it turns out that President Bush didn't wanna go.
That's a pretty sad way to effect what his aides are calling "a public-relations coup" and everyone else is calling "weird and vaguely creepy." Thanksgiving surprises like this happen all the time - but usually they're made by divorced deadbeat dads without visitation rights who show up at the back door for a quick, drunken "How ya doin'?" while Mom's off stuffing the turkey. The kids may be happy to see Daddy, but it's a sad and fleeting pleasure. A visit that doesn't take responsibility for itself is little more than a furtive prank.
I myself was impressed by this
White House communications Director Dan Bartlett allowed five print reporters, a three-person TV crew and five photographers to ride along.
He warned them, "If this breaks while we're in the air, we're turning around."
With U.S. forces under daily attack, the need to have Bush's plane land in Baghdad without notice was key.
Even the president himself underscored the importance of keeping the trip a secret when, standing at the top of his plane's steps at Andrews, he ordered reporters not to break telephone silence.
He held his thumb and little finger to his face as if talking on the phone, and mouthed the words, "No calls, got it?"
For emphasis, he slashed his hand in front of his throat. "No calls," he hissed again.
Crew aboard Air Force One instructed passengers to keep the plane's window blinds closed throughout the flight and dropped the customary "Air Force One" call sign.
That caused an anxious moment on the way to Iraq, when a British Airways plane flew by the presidential 747.
"Did I just see Air Force One?" the British pilot radioed.
Bush's pilot replied: "Gulfstream five" - a call signal for a much smaller plane.
The British pilot - seeming to realize he was in on a secret - replied: "Oh."
The airport in Baghdad was blacked out for the landing about 9:30 a.m. eastern time yesterday. Ground crews there weren't told of Bush's arrival.
The jet - equipped with anti-missile defenses - evaded ground attackers by spiralling in to the runway.
"I even went up to the cockpit, watched [Air Force One pilot Col. Mark] Tilman bring it in," Bush said. "Had security been broken, that would have been a time when we would have been most vulnerable."
I hope Col. Tilman brought a set of wings to pin on Our Fearless Leader for being such a brave little airman.
Oh, wait, he used to have a set of those, didn't he?