'Furious' Obama orders review of NY plane flyover

[jefferson_dem]

'Furious' Obama orders review of NY plane flyover

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A "furious" President Obama has ordered a review of the decision to fly a Boeing 747 frighteningly close to the lower Manhattan skyline, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.

The review will focus on "why that decision was made and to ensure that it never happens again," Gibbs said. Jim Messina, a deputy chief of staff, will lead the effort.

On Tuesday, Obama told reporters, "It was a mistake. It was something we found out about along with all of you. And it will not happen again."

Officials said that when Obama first found out about the incident, he was "furious."

The incident has led to a large amount of criticism from New Yorkers and politicians.

After a YouTube video showed panicked New Yorkers scrambling as the plane flew frighteningly close to the lower Manhattan skyline, a former Homeland Security adviser questioned whether the man who approved the flyby should remain in his White House office.

Fran Townsend, who advised President George W. Bush for more than three years, called the move "crass insensitivity" in the wake of 9/11.

"I'd call this felony stupidity. This is probably not the right job for Mr. Caldera to be in if he didn't understand the likely reaction of New Yorkers, of the mayor," Townsend said Tuesday on CNN's "American Morning."

Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, quickly apologized for Monday's incident after the planes prompted workers and residents to evacuate buildings in New York and New Jersey.

<SNIP>

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/28/low.flying.plane/index.html

[BlooInBloo]

1. Apologize faster, fucker.

[Drunken Irishman]

3. IMPEACH!

[BlooInBloo]

4. Heh. I meant Caldera.

[woodsprite]

2. Have the American people been given a reason for this? n/t

[jwirr]

5. What exactly was Caldera trying to do?

[zeemike]

6. Louis Caldera's last job was at the University of New Mexico

It lasted 30 month before they gave him the boot and it cause some controversy because they gave him 700,000 bucks to leave.
I will bet they now think it was money well spent.
But why was is the question that needs an answer. And who was it that decided that this should be kept secret?

[Schema Thing]

8. That's the question:

"And who was it that decided that this should be kept secret?"



Whoever that is, probably should be fired.

[NYC_SKP]

7. Boy, some of us are sure falling for the bullshit drama on this one, aren't we?

I said it before and was flamed a bit, but I stand by what I said before.

New Yorkers are tougher than this.

Against the youtube of people running in panic are youtubes of people calmly saying, "lookie there!".

Down at Battery Park, a mixture of tourists and workers, several are seen running (where are they going?), while others are just walking.

Of course, MSM shows us the worst. Duh.

I insist that the MSM played up the drama, just like Bush played up the terrorist alerts, and a bunch of us fell for it.

:shrug:

I called a few friends who live in Manhattan to see what they thought. They all thought it was no big deal, just drama.

So, everyone to their own level of fear. For me, this was a non-story.

[Merlot]

9. I'm having a hard time beliving this was done for a photo op

it's just to stupid an excuse. Photo op for what? No one has really explained it in any depth.

[high density]

12. Photo op for, I dunno, AF1 in front of The Statue of Liberty and NYC Skyline?

Those seem like valid backdrops for such a photo.

[zeemike]

19. The thing is that if they wanted that photo

They could have photoshoped it in an hour or so with little cost, instead of thousands of dollars to fly the mission.
It just does not make sense.

[jbnow]

13. Photo op for pilots or something. Someone was explaining that

the department always has them...last ones were at the grand canyon. He said they autograph them and give them out. Not saying that makes sense to me.
He also said all the pilots have to put in a certain number of hours per month so this was also "training". That people in the fighter jets (or whatever those were) were taking the pictures.

The guy explaining it was republican but said this would have nothing to do with the white house. Not their photo ops nor would they have been notified of it...

[Golden Raisin]

16. I've lived my entire adult life

in Manhattan. I don't consider myself much of a conspiracy theorist but this incident absolutely baffles me. The level of stupidity and utter insensitivity is so staggering, let alone the lack of coordinated communication at every step of the way (both in D.C. and N.Y.C.), that I wonder if it can be reduced/excused to the simplistic, "It was a photo op." Something is fishy about this. I have no idea what, but it just doesn't add up.

[Z_I_Peevey]

20. It doesn't make a lick of sense.

I live in a fairly small town in Oklahoma. Periodically, local authorities test our tornado warning sirens. Before they do this, they put a notice in the local paper and announce the test on local radio and cable TV, so as not to create undue concern.

Small town emergency management can warn people about sirens but New Yorkers can't be notified of a low-flying plane used as a photo op? Bullpucky.

[MadMaddie]

10. I suspect Caldera will be leaving his post to spend more time

with his family....just sayin..

[high density]

11. Damn Obama, don't waste your time on this BS.

OMG PLANES ARE FLYING IN THE SKY AROUND NYC!!! DUCK AND COVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEATH IS COMING!!!!!

[Abq_Sarah]

14. President Obama

Was entirely correct in his attitude towards this stunt.

It was the visual equivalent of screaming FIRE!! in a crowded theater. I'm sure the survivors of Sept 11th don't hold the same cavalier attitude as you regarding this incident.

[nsd]

15. Fran Townsend is a Bushbot.

Her opinion is worthless.

[polichick]

17. Valerie Jarrett said on Morning Joe that Obama was furious and you wouldn't have wanted...

...to be in the room with him.

Hard to imagine.

[cboy4]

18. I'm going to give Obama a chance to do the right thing and

fire Caldera before I pounce on and criticize him for behaving like Bush, who could never fire any of the good 'ol boys in his administration who fucked up.