McClellan got grilled today with questions about alert -bush looks bad!

[Rose Siding]

This is all from the WH site. These are questions from several reporters-

snip>
Q ...Isn't there a bit of an appearance problem, notwithstanding the President's safety was not in question, protocols were followed, that today, looking at it, he was enjoying a bike ride, and that recreation time was not considered expendable to inform him of this. Isn't there just an appearance problem?
...
Q ...There was a sense of fear. And people are wondering was this not a moment for the President to exercise some leadership, some guidance during that period of time? Was this not a missed opportunity for the President to speak out and at least clarify what -- that he was informed, and what was taking place at that time? If not even during the 15-minute window, why not later in the day?
...
Q ...There is a concern that that plane came closer to the White House than the White House said, more -- it came within the three-mile radius, it was closer than you --
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I said that it came within three miles.
Q Okay, but you said three miles. How close --
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, it came within three miles.
Q How close was it?
MR. McCLELLAN: I don't have --
Q How close was it? Because someone has taken a picture of a plane being escorted on K street. How close was the plane?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I mean, if the Department of Homeland Security or FFA has any additional information, I'm sure --
Q Scott, how close was it?
MR. McCLELLAN: April, it was within --
Q You know how close it was. Please tell us.
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, within three miles. I don't know beyond that.
...
Q Might there be something wrong with protocols that render the President unnecessary when the alarm is going off at his house?
...
Q And those protocols are okay with the President despite the fact that his wife was in a situation where she might have been endangered?

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050512-2.html

*some answers lacking substance have been omitted. available at link

[althecat]

1. Reccomended.. so how close did it come to the WH?

Now I want to know too...

Is not an unreasonable question.

[Melodybe]

4. Get back to me when reporters are asking Bush about Tony's memo.

This is a BIG deal, we can not allow the media to sweep it under the rug.

Word is really getting out amoung Americans, heck Jim Lampley of HBO boxing was blogging about the election and Diebold's rigging of the election.

This is going to hurt Bushco bad, about f'ing time BTW.

[Stinky The Clown]

17. K street is approximately 5 blocks from the White House

And there's a report people on K Street were able to look up and see the Blackhawk escorting the plane.

Five blocks ain't no "within three miles', Scotty, mah man.

[althecat]

26. Map of no-fly zone... apparently this is 15NM

15 Nautical miles = 17.26 normal miles

This means plane flew at least 14.2 miles into the zone. Is there a map anywhwere of its course?

[Bok_Tukalo]

39. I hope you can understand why you wouldn't want to confirm

how far a Cessna can penetrate before being intercepted.

[althecat]

41. Well yes.... but why could it penetrate so far?

If a a cessna could get that far then a plane that can fly fast could clearly still get all the way...

[Bok_Tukalo]

44. That's a seperate issue. I was just addressing Scott's ambiguous answer

It does seem like the things weren't as smooth as you would hope. Maybe we are getting a bit complacent.

[althecat]

46. Maybe this was a test... to find out just how complacent.

If you think about it. The idea that a live exercise be held involving a small plane attack on the capitol that only the President knew about is not impossible. The only way to properly test these preparations is to have a live exercise.

And if so then the defences failed.

If that had been a chemical weapon carrying plane it very nearly reached its target. And if it had been a lear jet then it definitely would have.

[Liberty Belle]

2. Well, well. For once the WH press corps is doing its job.

Could it have anything to do with the fact that no one remembered to tell the REPORTERS on Capitol Hill about the evacuation? I read somewhere earlier that they were among the last to hear.

[Daphne08]

27. Yes, I watched that press conference

and some of the reporters were clearly perturbed that they had not been warned early enough.

[fishwax]

33. I sense your anger, press corps, and it makes you strong

I can see why they'd be pissed. Whatever it takes to get them to do their damn job ...

[radar]

40. Yeah...

...Pissed they realize they're not as important to the admin. as they believed?

Ho's are easily replaceable when one has money to burn.

[paineinthearse]

3. 3 comments

1. This appears to be extracted from the Wednesday press briefing (unless they asked the same questions today).

2. How many questions were asked concerning Bolton/ Plato's Retreat/ forced sex?

3. How many questions were asked about the Iraq/Brit memo dated 8 months prior to the invasion?

[Melodybe]

5. Exactly...

[Rose Siding]

10. Yesterday

they didn't know bush hadn't been told.

snip>
Q Scott, you gave us a fairly detailed, minute-by-minute countdown of actions that were taken, the raising of the alerts. You also told us separately that the President was informed by his detail. Can you tell us where in that chronology the President was informed? After the code reached a certain level, or what have you?

MR. McCLELLAN: We'll get you that information later in the day. As I said, the President is returning to the White House. But I wanted to get you what facts we knew at this point.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/05/20050511-1.html

[althecat]

25. Very interesting...

Thanks RS

[mhr]

29. I Am Beginning To Smell A Rat

We know one of the pilots was a Bush Supporter.

We know that every time the heat rises on this administration that some incident occurs to distract.

I suspect that this whole event was staged to raise the fear level yet again.

[xray s]

6. I'd like to see them grill Scotty on what kind of creep asks to have...

...someones head put in dry ice and delivered to him in a box.

Bush is a sick, sick bastard.

[bunny planet]

12. Same creep who wanted to have Saddam's gun to keep among his

other souvenirs in his office.

[althecat]

7. There is so much more stuff there than what is posted...

E.G.

Q I think there's a disconnect here because, I mean, yesterday you had more than 30,000 people who were evacuated, you had millions of people who were watching this on television, and there was a sense at some point -- it was a short window, a 15-minute window, but there was a sense of confusion among some on the streets. There was a sense of fear. And people are wondering was this not a moment for the President to exercise some leadership, some guidance during that period of time? Was this not a missed opportunity for the President to speak out and at least clarify what -- that he was informed, and what was taking place at that time? If not even during the 15-minute window, why not later in the day?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President did lead, and the President did that after September the 11th when we put the protocols in place to make sure that situations like this were addressed before it was too late. And that was the case -- that was the case in this situation. And in terms of during this time, this was a matter of minutes when this was occurring. And all the appropriate security personal and Homeland Security officials and others were acting to implement those protocols. And we commend all those that worked to follow those protocols and make sure that this situation was addressed. And it worked, in terms of the protocols.

....

Q Scott, may I just maybe take a slight step back? Aside from the particulars of what happened yesterday and when, maybe the larger issue has to do with whether this President is sufficiently at the levers of power on his job during the day or night. When we think of the event at the ASNE meeting, when the President said he didn't know about the issue of possibly requiring passports of all Americans who are returning from Canada or Mexico until he read it in the papers -- and I think that's the larger question we're all trying to get at.

MR. McCLELLAN: No, I disagree and I think that's unfounded. Absolutely the President is. I disagree with your characterization completely, and I think the American people reject that, as well. And the President was informed immediately upon the conclusion of the bike ride, as well, about what had occurred. But by that point, it was well in hand.

...

Q Might there be something wrong with protocols that render the President unnecessary when the alarm is going off at his house?

MR. McCLELLAN: That's not at all what occurred, Ken. And I would disagree strongly with the way you characterize it for the reasons I started earlier, and that I talked about. This was a situation where the President was in an off-site location. He was not in danger, a situation where protocols have been put in place to address the situation. The protocols were followed. The Secret Service detail and the military aide that were with the President were being kept apprised of the situation as it was developing over a course of 15, 20 minutes. And as you're well aware, after several minutes, the plane turned away from the direction of the White House and Capitol.

And I don't think anybody -- as the Department of Defense indicated yesterday -- that it came to a point where a more drastic measure was needed to be taken to protect people in the area of the threat. But the protocols are in place to protect the people in the area of the threat. And those protocols were being followed.

Q And those protocols are okay with the President despite the fact that his wife was in a situation where she might have been endangered?

MR. McCLELLAN: She was taken to a secure location, as were some other officials.

Q And wouldn't he want to know about that as it was happening?

MR. McCLELLAN: He was briefed about the situation.

Q After it happened.


and MUCH MUCH MORE...

[althecat]

9. This question is priceless..

(NOTE: Clearly they can do their job properly if they want to.... tis indeed a shame that similar probity isn't displayed over the memo.)

Q Right, but there seems to be so many disconnects here. You've got a plane that was assessed as not being a threat, you've got 35,000 people evacuated, you've got a person who you claim is a hands-on Commander-in-Chief who is left to go ride his bicycle through the rural wildlands of Maryland while his wife is in some secure location somewhere, it's just not adding up. "

And this one...

Q Scott, protocols aside, was there any kind of explanation given by the Secret Service, kind of a commonsense reason for why they didn't notify the President? Was it that they didn't want to disrupt his bicycle ride, they didn't want to inconvenience him? I mean, what was the reason?

MR. McCLELLAN: Maybe you didn't hear what I pointed out earlier in the briefing so let me repeat that. The President was never in danger. He was at an off-site location --

Q I heard you.

[Oilwellian]

16. This McClellan line stuck out

"This was a situation where the President was in an off-site location. He was not in danger,"

This reminded me of the morning of 9/11 when Bush stayed in the elementary school for quite a while, even after the second plane hit the WTC. How did they know then, as they do in this case, that Bush wasn't in danger? How do they know for sure, if they think an attack is in progress, that Bush is safe, no matter where he is?

[mogster]

34. Good question

It points to them having knowledge about the attack before it happened, doesn't it?

For that matter; how did they know the small plane wasn't just a decoy, while the real attack was directed at the prez? I mean, if we're to buy the story about them really thinking it was an attack?

It so smells of rotten fish.

[NWHarkness]

8. Funny think about the press corps

They don't grill the White House about the fact that it's been categorically proven that they lied us into a war that's killed over 100,000 people, but when they thought (erroneously!) that their own asses were endangered for a few minutes, all of a sudden they find their balls.

[bpilgrim]

11. DING-DING-DING

" Q Might there be something wrong with protocols that render the President unnecessary when the alarm is going off at his house?"

sounds like a DANGEROUS pattern to me...

i thought they'd never get to this question.

now why don't the GENIUS Dem marketing people get them to be ALL-OVER the chimp and his LAZINESS?

that fucker * took the whole damn summer of 911 off right after he learned OBL was DETERMINED to attack within the US while George tenets hair was fucking on fire.

there are so many more issues but jeez Louise... that's one issue that will resonate with every HARD WORKING American, wtf.

the lazy bum is never on the friggin job and he's supposed to be the god-damned WAR PRESIDENT :argh:

thanks for sharing :toast:

peace

[harpo]

14. just like on 911...where the FUCK was the president of the country?

[screembloodymurder]

13. Gee, if the threat was real,

wouldn't you want to be told your family was under attack?

[EC]

15. Were there any pictures or film or real proof that Bush WAS out

bikeriding? In my opinion he could have been in a secret meeting he didn't want interrupted that was already in a secure location...I've heard he was biking in Maryland and that he was biking by the Capital, so which was it? I don't believe for a second he was "bikeriding".

[hvn_nbr_2]

18. Did Jimmy-Jeff ask...

how he was gonna deal with these people who are so obviously disconnected from reality?

[lala_rawraw]

23. maybe he and bush

Were discussing the mandate and that might explain the missing "nixon" moments.

[Bozita]

19. after yesterday, shouldn't we re-do the phrase "Chinese Fire Drill"?

I didn't see a lot of Chinese-Americans yesterday.

[ohtransplant]

20. Did he really refer to the FFA?

This from the OP

Q How close was it? Because someone has taken a picture of a plane being escorted on K street. How close was the plane?
MR. McCLELLAN: Yes, I mean, if the Department of Homeland Security or FFA has any additional information, I'm sure --

What the...FFA?... Future Farmers of America?... Huh?...Ohhhhh - he meant what?...FAA?... Never mind.

[lala_rawraw]

21. You know... it would be interesting

To see if during that time frame of panic... if any break ins were reported.

Does Bolton have a little montage of his parties at home?

Is anyone getting the sense that the voice of the CIA "analysts" and the anger of the real FBI agents is being seen in these leaks, and events?

Does this not seem like a lot of "fuck you" pay back or no?

[althecat]

22. NEW THREAD ON TINFOIL ASPECTS OF THIS HERE...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3648758&mesg_id=3648758

[althecat]

24. Copied here... (as the other thread will doubtless sink like a stone :))

Scott McLellan's Plane Briefing - Raises Some More Tinfoil Questions...

For more discussion of the presser see here... (big ups Rose Siding for the heads up)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=3648374#3648419

and here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=3641935&mesg_id=3641935

For some earlier plane incident tinfoil.

One thing struck me in all this which is both ironic and curious about all this from the press conference. And I will start with a quote.

Q I think there's a disconnect here because, I mean, yesterday you had more than 30,000 people who were evacuated, you had millions of people who were watching this on television, and there was a sense at some point -- it was a short window, a 15-minute window, but there was a sense of confusion among some on the streets. There was a sense of fear. And people are wondering was this not a moment for the President to exercise some leadership, some guidance during that period of time? Was this not a missed opportunity for the President to speak out and at least clarify what -- that he was informed, and what was taking place at that time? If not even during the 15-minute window, why not later in the day?

MR. McCLELLAN: The President did lead, and the President did that after September the 11th when we put the protocols in place to make sure that situations like this were addressed before it was too late. And that was the case -- that was the case in this situation. And in terms of during this time, this was a matter of minutes when this was occurring. And all the appropriate security personal and Homeland Security officials and others were acting to implement those protocols. And we commend all those that worked to follow those protocols and make sure that this situation was addressed. And it worked, in terms of the protocols.

On September 11th Bush was notified - he just decided to keep talking about a goat rather than addressing the issue... this time he wasn't notified and that seems to be in accordance with new protocols.

I.E. we are expected to believe that after 9/11 the protocols were changed to:

1. Enable the shooting down of planes without notifying * (This makes some sense)
2. Discourage the interruption of bike rides in the park. (This makes no sense)
3. Not notify the president when his wife (and dog) are placed in mortal danger. (again... no sense)

Does this seem odd to anyone?

After what happened on 9/11 - and all the crap * got into over it (thankyou Michael Moore) you would think that he would want to know about things like this as soon as they happened.

And as several questioners pointed out.. while in the end this event turned out to be harmless clearly nobody knew that was going to be the outcome. If a plane had hit the white house how would * have felt about not having his run interrupted.

Clearly it was not assumed that this was harmless. Else how come they evacuated 30,000 people???

So thinking about this logically there are several possibilities.

1. This really was a bona fide alert situation and the protocols instruct nobody to interrupt a * bike trip, no matter what.

2. This was a bona fide alert situation and the protocols do not say what McLellan says they do, but everybody in the security apparatus just thinks that notifying * about security alerts is a drag, so they didn't bother. And looking back * doesn't mind.

3. This wasn't a proper alert and the security brass new it wasn't one, hence no need to notify *. (I.E. this was a publicity stunt)

4. This wasn't a proper alert and * wanted to be in a position of deniability if everything went pear shaped at a later date.

Thinking about all this. None of the above is particularly credible.

As the WH questioners kept saying there are far too many "disconnects".

FINALLY...



I have been to the Washington. If the plane was within 3 miles of the White House it would have been already right over the Washington CBD - how could these pilots have possibly been confused about where they were? This map above shows the no fly zone it basically includes the entire metro area... (not sure about what this one below shows)



Either way the story that they were just foolish doesn't hold that much water. Especially since one of the pilots is quoted as saying they were concerned about the zones when they took off.

[bpilgrim]

28. #3 - they didn't evacuate the pentagon, so they KNEW, too

a DISTRACTION from the UK memo being brought up last night by 1 M$MW (cnn) possibly.

it was definately FAKE, imho

peace

[seemunkee]

30. That map does not look like it is just the no fly zone

National Airport is inside the yellow circle and it is hard to tell but I think the College Park airstrip is in it also.

[mopaul]

31. scotty can we speak to the man playing the president instead of you,

the man playing spokesman?

[MadisonProgressive]

32. ssssss sssssssss ssssssss sssssssss

like sand through an hourglass - people are starting to wise up. I hope the press gets more cynical about this administration - even when it's not their lives or livelihood at stake.

[mainer]

35. They already KNOW the President is irrelevant

That's why they didn't bother to inform him. They knew he'd just keep on bicycling away, the way he kept on reading "My Pet Goat." I can almost hear the conversation in the White House:

"Um, Dick, shouldn't we inform the President there's a possible attack underway?"

"Why bother?"

[0007]

36. bttft

[althecat]

37. Ok New Theory - It was/is an exercise They Just Haven't told us yet...

... it fits the facts.

Bush didn't need to be told cause he already knew and they didn't want him to give away the big secret...

An ultra secret Homeland Security test of the Capitol's defences in the only way that will test them properly, a real situation. And indeed Washington and all of us are still being tested.

:)

[htuttle]

38. The Bush administration deals REALLY poorly with unexpected events

That should be obvious by now.

They are so cloistered and consumed by their own version of 'reality' that when something unplanned intrudes upon it, they literally don't know what to do. So they just sit there. ("Don't just do something -- stand there!" was supposedly Cheney or Rumsfeld's motto, wasn't it?)

Look at their track record, and see if I'm wrong.

I understand that people don't want to believe that the entire Executive branch has become that 'lame', but there it is. No tinfoil needed. It was exactly as it appeared -- utter chaos and no leadership.

[althecat]

43. Lameness doesn't explain the non-notification of *

.. had the plane hit would * have been satisfied with not being informed.

The only logical explanation is that someone knew his wife wasn't in danger.

Either that or he is a senile old crank who the SS were too scared to inform.

[DoYouEverWonder]

42. So if one plane has gone off course

and won't respond how did they know that other planes weren't on the way? Just like 9-11 when there was more than one plane. How could they be so sure the pResident wasn't in danger? Unless of course, he wasn't out riding his bike. More likely he was in a secure bunker getting jacked off by his high school buddy.

[althecat]

45. Good question... again only one possible answer - It was an exercise.

You are correct... and there is only one logical answer. bush knew it wasn't a threat.

I.E. It was an exercise... they just haven't let the rest of us in on the fun facts yet.