Air Force One Flies over Manhattan for a "Photo Op"

[CrazyMonkeyDude]

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/200 ... ne_te.html

President Barack Obama admitted Tuesday it was "a mistake" to send a Boeing 747 and an F-16 fighter jet buzzing over lower Manhattan.

Speaking before a meeting at FBI headquarters in Washington, Obama said he was as in the dark as everyone else about the photo op fly-by, but made no secret of his disapproval.

"It was a mistake, as was stated," Obama said. "And it will not happen again."

Obama did not specifically apologize, although the White House military director did on Monday.

The president declined to answer a reporter's question on whether Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, was the right person for the job.

Caldera, 53, is a West Point graduate and a lawyer. He was secretary of the Army during the Clinton administration and previously was a California state lawmaker.

Hundreds of office workers were gripped by panic Monday, as they watched a jumbo jet circle the financial district for half an hour, followed closely by a fighter jet.

Buildings were evacuated, people fled for cover and others stared at the sky in disbelief, fearing a repeat of 9/11.

Mayor Bloomberg said he was also unaware the fly-by was taking place - which later turned out to be an "aerial photo mission" authorized by Caldera.

Caldera hastily apologized Monday and a City Hall deputy, Marc Mugnos, who had been given advance notice, was reprimanded for failing to inform the mayor.

Sources said the reason for the stunt was to create souvenir pictures of a customized Boeing 747, which serves as Air Force One when the president is aboard.

Photos of the plane flying over the Statue of Liberty were to be given out to family, friends or supporters.

Obama was not on the flight. NYPD officials were alerted but told not to make it public.

The NYPD informed 911 operators at 7 a.m. so they could tell callers it was an authorized military mission, deputy commissioner Paul Browne said.

New York Senator Chuck Schumer has written to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood asking that the public be given at least 48 hours notice of any future low-altitude flights.

Another Air Force One photo op scheduled for May in the DC area has been cancelled.

Seriously? Seriously?!

I also feel that Obama not knowing about this to be a crock of bullshit.

 

[hlcounterstrike]

LOL yeah he's full of it.

 

[Dridmar]

LOL yeah he's full of it.

Banned

 

[Keldorn]

LOL yeah he's full of it.

 

[Thothie]

Musta been out when this one arrived a year ago...

In retrospect, I doubt Obama has any knowabouts nor say as to where Air Force One is or what it is doing when he's not in it - no other president seemed to. I'd be willing to bet he doesn't have *much* of any say as to where it's going or what it's doing when he *is* in it either. Tis handler's and entourage work. It's not like he flies the thing.

But I'm sure that he's fully aware that we're torturing more prisoners than ever before, deporting more folks than ever before, and shoveling more tax dollars into the hungry furnaces of private corporations than ever before. You know, all that stuff he was elected to stop.