Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

This trip is pretty amazing for the fact that the President of the United States was able to basically disappear for awhile. It has been reported that Air Force One flew under a different call sign without transponders or communications equipment on (partially, it has been speculated, so that foreign intelligence would not be aware of his movements either).

In any case, this lead bit of a Washington Post story is funny:

quote:

---

As Air Force One headed under a false call sign for its unannounced landing in Iraq on Thursday, the Boeing 747 passed within sight of a British Airways pilot who radioed, "Did I just see Air Force One?"

"Gulfstream 5," replied Bush's pilot, Col. Mark Tillman. As one of Bush's aides recounted, the British Airways pilot seemed to sense that he was in on a secret and replied archly, "Oh."

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

Britain, you have been lied to again by the vile Bush administration!

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35572

Tarnation.

Saw some pics of this on the news, 'hail fellow well met' jollity all around.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2002
Location: Just to the right of the moon
Posts: 3141

A brave move.

But did he want to do it, or did he have to do it? By that i mean did the worsening situation there force his hand into addressing any issues of morale either there or at home

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

I think he genuinely enjoys doing stuff like that, but what do I know. Either that or he is a pretty remarkable actor (which I think, fairly obviously, is not the case).

You'd think a zero year President wouldn't do stuff like flying to Baghdad or going to Bali, but he does anyways.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beatrice, Nebraska
Posts: 18523

I thought is was good of him to do. It was also a risky way to fly with their wing/tail lights off.

__________________

[Ignore Sig]

The pinnacle of Failbot technology.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Sep 2000
Location: The Bottom of the Toyem Pole
Posts: 9454

I'm not a fan of Bush and I don't believe that this was entirely altruistic (read: election year photo-op to cover the debacle of the carrier), but I think this was a damned cool thing to do. I know it boosted morale of at least those he met and the troops deserve that. It was gutsy and I suppose someone could criticize him for putting himself in jeopardy, but I don't. Too bad that Iraq is such a mess that he can't actually visit more troops. But that was a cool thing to do for the troops.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

I watch the three main US 24hr news stations at work on different monitors and I saw an exchange that went something like this:

Bill O'Reilly (in studio): Geraldo, what do you think about Hillary Clinton coming there? How do you think she'll be received?
Geraldo Rivera (in Afghanistan): Whats that?
BO: Hillary Clinton is coming there for Thanksgiving, think she'll get a warm reception? (said sort of sarcastically)
GR: Oh she's coming? Well God bless her. Look, I think that every person in a leadership position should take some time to come over and visit these men and women, so I think its great.
BO: Oh, Okay.

Good for ol' Geraldo, even if he is nuts.

This trip was pretty universally well received, from my very modest sampling. I even had a security guard come to my desk last night and talk to me for 15 minutes about how great he thought it was.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35572

He only went and visited his own troops in a country that they control well enough that he doesn't think that tens of thousands of extra troops are required there to make it safe, and he did it unannounced. I think that it was a good thing to do because it is (to some extent) his obligation and he didn't shirk it, but I don't know that even I could make a 15 minute conversation about how great it was. Possibly the security guard was Southern and thus took 15 minutes to form 3 thoughts.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

It wasn't a bad photo-op, of course. But George seems to really enjoy stuff like this regardless. He really likes being CoC, and he likes the folks who serve, and he likes buddyin up with em. It's fairly obvious. And yeah, it was a pretty smooth thing to do, and a decent idea. I wish he had continued on to Afghanistan as well, however.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Apr 2002
Location: At Home
Posts: 4084

It may have been a surprise visit from his perspective, but the fucking turkey he carried in knew what was happening way way waaayyy before...

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

He's gettin a mixed reaction from the Iraqis, some of whom wondered why he came and didn't see them. Some of them quoted were taking a wait and see attitude, however the one I read was sitting in a cofeehouse playing dominoes waitin and seein. We supposedly have electricity back to better than prewar levels; if that's so it's a plus. I imagine the number of Iraqis being oppressed now, in spite of the nature of these hits we're taking and the number of Iraqis and others being killed, are less than before, if you can really quantify that. But I guess that's not the problem so much as us simply being there. Of course that's annoying. But there are just as many Iraqis being quoted in the press who want us to stay until the country is stable and secure while handing over authority to their hands. A CNN correspondent who just returned from Iraq the other day quoted several who said just that.

I think we are getting a somewhat distorted view of things when all we talk about is the weekly count of people killed or injured during this very difficult period of transition. I think we've made some real boneheaded mistakes, and we should defer a great deal more to the Brits' judgment than we do when it comes to the nuts and bolts of occupation talents and the dailiness of that. But we're still overreacting to the speed of reconstruction, unless the media-manufactured hysteria translates to real trouble in and of itself.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35572

I think that the Pentagon gave what turned out to be a wrong assessment of what the postwar situation would be like (and first Jay Garner and then Rumsfeld himself have been moved on account of that). I agree that most Iraqis probably want the US to stay there until things settle down because they have a pretty good idea what it will be like if they don't. Of course, some may also feel that a good enough job is not being done at the moment, I don't know about that.

Last edited by Smug Git on 11-29-2003 at 06:41 AM

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beyond Mason-Dixon Line
Posts: 16170

All I know is if I was in th'service over there and th'commander in chief made such a surprise visit, I'd be impressed and touched.

Yes, I know. I been "touched" most o' m'natural born life.

Amen.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 13002

fantastic PR stunt.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

Whether he intended it as such, it certainly is, and the Dems will have a very hard time countering it. But I still believe he'd do something like this anyway, because he gets an obvious kick out of it. He's not as cynical or calculating as his handlers, in spite of the danger some folks say he presents to world peace and security. In fact, that may be one reason why those folks are at least partially correct in their assessment. But as far as that goes, he'd probably say you have to break some eggs to make an omellette, and that this is a meal we've got comin and had better learn to like.

he could be wrong, of course

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

and so could I, obviously, but endless speculation is my game, baby

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jan 2002
Location: UK
Posts: 13002

quote:

---

Originally posted by Mugtoe
snip

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

Air Force One (747-200B) is reported to be 231' 10" in length.
A Gulfstream V is reported as 96'5" in length.
Besides the fact that no one would ever mistake one for the other regardless of size.

The way one of the reporters who was on the plane told the story, they were suprised when the BA pilot radioed and asked if he'd just seen Air Force One. The pilot and co-pilot looked at each other for a second and then the pilot responded "Uh... Gulfstream V." He wasn't expecting the BA pilot to believe him, but he couldn't really answer the question. I'd like to hear the tape of that.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

Here is Bush after he walked out and the soldiers jumped to their feet. Like I said, I doubt he a great actor.

I think this might be the best shot of the visit though. The expression on that one guy's face is so funny.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Oct 2001
Location:
Posts: 17911

get this quote:

quote:

---

President George W. Bush (news - web sites) (second from right) has his picture taken with a U.S. Army soldier by a fellow soldier

---

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

As for the PR thing, the Washington Post's reporter's notes that Drudge had on his site said that the Presidential staff changed into camo on the plane 'as not to spoil the pictures.' I didn't notice it, but the guy that talked to me at work said some of the people in the background were wearing white undershirts and he guessed they were secret service, so he was possibly right.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10438

For example the man to the right of Bush here, also wearing an earpiece.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Nov 2003
Location: North Myrtle Beach SC
Posts: 3353

i think it was good to boost the troops spirits and was symbolic to the terrorist that he got in and left safely without them being able to do anything about it ..it makes them look impotent..left to bomb red cross centers with donkeys

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35572

If he wanted the terrorists to look impotent, he should have announced that he was coming to Baghdad a few weeks ago, and come in and shown himself in public to Iraqis. I don't think that it makes the terrorists look impotent that the US Secret Service can protect the president when he is surrounded by US troops and when no one even knows that he is there.

But it was still a decent thing to do.

Report this post to a moderator | IP: