Obama Calls for Probe into New York City Flyover Photo Flop

[Terminator]

President Obama has asked for an internal investigation of a photo-op featuring the presidential jet that sent thousands of New Yorkers running for their lives -- and sent officials in Washington, D.C., running for political cover.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Tuesday Obama was "furious" when he heard about the incident and has ordered a deputy chief of staff of find out "why that decision was made and to ensure that it never happens again."
Many New Yorkers, too, were asking why the administration would authorize an Air Force One backup plane to fly over the Manhattan skyline for photos capturing the presidential plane with the Statue of Liberty in the background -- without assuring the public in advance that there was no cause for alarm.
The 747 plane, with an F-16 escort following close behind, circled the Statue of Liberty and the skyline near the World Trade Center site for about a half-hour. Offices were evacuated. Emergency call centers were inundated. Witnesses reported that the planes were flying dangerously low.
Only military personnel were aboard the 747, Gibbs said. The photo-op cost $328,835, which includes personnel, maintenance and fuel costs, according to the Air Force, which said the hours would have been flown regardless and the expenses accrued on a different mission.
But the site evoked memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and left White House Military Office Director Louis Caldera accepting responsibility and apologizing late Monday for permitting the exercise that infuriated New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had not been alerted to the flyover.
Obama, who was meeting with FBI Director Robert Mueller and other senior officials at the FBI on Tuesday, called the photo-op "a mistake."
"It was something we found out about along with all of you. And it will not happen again," he said.
Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman agreed that the public should have been notified of the flyover.
"I think anytime in which you have something that is going to be highly visible and not completely obvious to the public at large, you need to make every attempt to make sure the general public is notified and the best way to do that generally is through you guys," he told reporters.
Whitman said he did not know why that wasn't done in this case.
"Clearly there were a number of officials that knew about this ... what was clearly lacking was any sort of public awareness, that's obvious. It's fair to say there was a certain level of coordination. I think everybody agrees it was insufficient," he said.
One White House official told FOX News that all future photo-ops with the Air Force One backup plane have been banned, but another White House official would not confirm to FOX News that a reported flyover of Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Capitol as a backdrop scheduled for May 5-6 had been scrubbed.
"I can certainly tell you that there will not be any more flyovers," the first official said.
Others in the White House say the flyover served as a dual photo-op and training hour, explaining the pilots needed flight hours and they wanted the pictures.
The White House said Bloomberg's office was informed but "apparently" word of the planned fly-over did not make it up the chain of command.
An apology and reassurances that it won't happen again aren't good enough for some.
Caldera "should resign, to be quite frank," GOP consultant and former Bush administration official Bradley Blakeman told FOX News.
"This is more than a lapse of judgment. This is complete stupidity in a time of economic crisis, wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars for publicity photos for Air Force One when you could have put that on your PC at home and done the same thing without that cost and disruption," Blakeman said.

[Car 4]

Soooo....$328,835 for a photo op over a city which had suffered the worst terrorist attack on our soil ever.....and without even telling the Mayor.

Now that is what I call a lack of experience/common sense/empathy/native intelligence/forsight/planning/coordination/sensitivity....take your pick!

Is it possible that Air Force One just flies around without the Prez knowing about it? Do you really believe that? Do you think the Air Force just junkets with the Prez' personal plane? Is it possible that Air Force One flies without the knowledge and permission of the air traffic control system and the National Command Authority infrastructure?

Come on, people.....


Car 4

[Morris]

For the record, it's a VC bird unless the president is on board. Hence, Air Force One never flew over NYC. A military airlift aircraft did and it cost us a buttload.

[Captain America]

Caldera will fall on his sword but his marching orders came from much higher in the food chain.

[CTR man]

I smell a cover-up.

[TXPO710]

Just to make sure no one is ever scared like this again, the President should post his flight schedule.

[Twan007]

Just to make sure no one is ever scared like this again, the President should post his flight schedule.

lol

[Car 4]

For the record, it's a VC bird unless the president is on board. Hence, Air Force One never flew over NYC. A military airlift aircraft did and it cost us a buttload.

Correct, Mo....however, both 747-200's are completely outfitted with the NCA gear and NOBODY plays with those two without somebody knows about it....including the Prez.


Car 4

[countybear]

The White House said Bloomberg's office was informed but "apparently" word of the planned fly-over did not make it up the chain of command.

If the ok for this fiasco came from "The White House"... how much farther up the chain of command can we go here?

Ah... that's right. The President doesn't really live there, that's a myth perpetrated by the 'vast right-wing conspirators' led by Rush Limbaugh.

[213th]

From what I ascertained from the article, the proper procedures were taken, to include not notifying the public. They take alot of precautions with both 747's used for presidential transport and they never should release the flight plans. To risky. This being said, they do photo shoots from time to time. And I don't feel there is anything wrong with that even if it costs some money. We're the best damn country, and the two aircraft used as Air Force One are our country's flagship per say when our president visits abroad. Makes sense that they want new pictures and what better then famous land marks of our country?

[irishmick]

From what I ascertained from the article, the proper procedures were taken, to include not notifying the public. They take alot of precautions with both 747's used for presidential transport and they never should release the flight plans. To risky. This being said, they do photo shoots from time to time. And I don't feel there is anything wrong with that even if it costs some money. We're the best damn country, and the two aircraft used as Air Force One are our country's flagship per say when our president visits abroad. Makes sense that they want new pictures and what better then famous land marks of our country?

OK. But there are A LOT of landmarks in this country that would have been a little better to use. And, if they insisted on using THAT particular landmark, then yes, the public should have been notified that they were doing it for a photo opportunity given the past happenings in that particular area.

[MacLean]

Correct, Mo....however, both 747-200's are completely outfitted with the NCA gear and NOBODY plays with those two without somebody knows about it....including the Prez.

Dunno dad, from what I know of the way those things are looked after, the President wouldn't have a clue where it was unless he was on it.

It's just one of those details that the Air Force and Secret Service sort of "handle."

Especially this guy, he isn't particularly military savvy - and he has fired everyone near him that was military savvy from the previous administration.

[Car 4]

Sorry, boys and girls. I just refuse to believe that the aircraft from which the Prez could start world war III are sorta handled by the Secret Service and the Air Force.

If that IS true, then we are in worse shape than I thought.

Car 4