Bush in Iraq

[Freight Dog]

As much as I disagree with some of his policies, Iraq being among them, but Bush is really a class act - flying in harms way to spend Thanksgiving with troops in Iraq. That is WAY cool!

Comments?

 

[FL000]

I agree wholeheartedly...with the cool part, nothing else. I was shocked when I read what they had done, and I'm sure a lot of folks both here and there were shocked also.

I can't wait to see what spin Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb (Daschle/Gephardt) put on it this weekend on the Sunday shows. I can't think of anything bad to say about that move, but they surely will.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

waste of money, but what's a few mil in a grand scheme of things

 

[Gulfstream 200]

waste of money??

no way.

(Bailing out a failing ,poorly run airline...now thats waste of money....)

Like him or not, it sure is nice to finally have a president with some BALLS.

 

[350DRIVER]

He probably felt guilty since he botched the entire thing not to mention all those weapons of mass destruction that have been found. We are much safer though now. right !!!!


3 5 0

 

[rfeathe1]

I'm sure the democrats will say he was just trying to eclipse Hillary in Afghanistan.

 

[Crizz]

We'd much rather have the Iraqis spending this Thanksgiving with Sadam.

Vladamir take your 230 hours and move to france if you hate the USA so much.

 

[ATR-DRIVR]

boy i sure am glad that vlad dude is not an American. he should stay behind that eiffel curtain.

 

[flywithastick]

That was impressive as he!!. He spent his Thanksgiving offering his grattitude to the folks he ordered into Iraq. No Bush hating lib would ever admit anything positive. "Too expensive. Too dangerous." Bull! When did that criminal, little man Bill Clinton ever do *anything* that even appeared to demonstrate character and fortitude?!

Even if Bush's visit was just for show, it was big-time in the face of the terrorists, flying into *their* city. Score - Bush.

All you hand-wringing Bush haters who find the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan so simple and wrong, what would you do - other than offer nearsighted criticism in order to look and feel more intelligent?

350driver - Yes - we are. How can you not think that fighting them in their backyard couldn't be anything but positive? In the bigger scheme of things (meaning US security), who cares if WMD's haven't been found! Who cares if Hussein hasn't been found! We've taken the fight to their neighborhood, and they haven't made any significant hits here in 2 yrs.

 

[Mogus]

I believe the nuclear weapons Saddam was purported to have will be found. But if they are not, no big deal. I support Bush's decision to go to war with Iraq because of the bioweapons Saddam has stocked--anthrax and smallpox, nasty stuff. These are infinitely more lethal than some measly plutonium. BTW, there are some things Bush is doing that piss me off (i.e. GIVING, instead of LENDING, $87 billion to aid Iraq's reconstruction--2 million barrels of oil a day from there.), but I suspect that once he's reelected, Bush will be a REAL conservative.

 

[empenage]

Bush was in Bagdad?

That is GREAT!

I'll drink with him.

 

[nosewheel]

I guess the only part that pisses me off about the whole thing is that Airforce One can fly in and out of there without a problem but, the poor bastards(DHL) that carry the mail and freight to the troops get shot down. IS Something Wrong with this picture or what!!!!!!

 

[Chas]

AF one I dont think so ...

I would bet a days pay they flew in in another plane other than AF- 1 too much of a target. Whatever the case I heard Bush senior was shocked to fing Jr away on Thanksgiving . I salute him for what he did today and every day ! Chas

 

[empenage]

Holy $hit it was AF-1!

"What do you have in your pants"!!??(instead of wallet)

 

[Crizz]

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashbb.htm


What a good man...

 

[Lopaka]

Yeah that was huge for this nations morale. Big score.

 

[Chas]

Retraction It was AF1!!!

I was surprised? happy to see It was AF1 . But unfortunately dissappointed to see some of the crap people on AOL are writing about Bush in Iraq today.. Is this country circling the bowl???

 

[Snoopy58]

Taking the big guy into a place where a threat exists, the AF1 747 is probably the jet you'd want to use: state of the art defensive systems, lots of power (in case you lose one), all the cool toys. Read some place that they did NOT use "Air Force One" callsign, which only makes sense.

Extremely cool -- good on him!

God bless W, and the troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, and everywhere else! We're fortunate to have them.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

[Flying Illini]

G. Dubbya's da man! Helluva move! Class act prez! Every president has tough issues to deal with and you are never going to make everyone happy but there is NO way that everyone can't smile and be proud of their prez when they hear about this.

 

[Jafar]

A leader...

Awesome. Just awesome.

This was the first thing I saw on the news when I woke up Thanksgiving morning.

He even served them chow! I seriously would have been danm near in tears if I were there.

During my 8 years in the Corps I think I can count on one hand the number of times an officer served us chow. And it was always after some big succesful operation, like a CAX or whatever. But the Commander in Chief doing it? Awesome. Bush is a leader, through and through. I may not agree with his fiscal policy, (not conservative enough for me.) and I think he references God a bit much for my taste, but the man is a leader.

Imagine what the... hummmmm... "enemy" (since we're on this poli correct language kick.) must have thought when they found out!

President Bush is the Commander in Chief. For the first time I truly realize and understand the incredible power and responsibilty behind that title. Bush lived up to it, if just for a few hours.

To anyone that wants to call me a sappy patriot, ask yourself first, if you even had the balls to serve your country in the first place.

Liberal cannon fodder, keep whinning and talking trash. You're going to be doing it for another 5 years.

 

[Typhoon1244]

I was glad to see the President visit the troops. I wish I could be sure it wasn't a political move. If it was W.'s idea, fine. If this is more Karl Rove manipulation, that's another story.

 

[getonit]

My understanding is that whatever airplane the President is on it goes by AF1. So load him up in your C-152 and you can use that call sign. I doubt if they would take "The AF1" - 747 into Baghdad, I think it is too big, slow, and doesn't have the maneuverability particulary for approach and landing.

 

[bart]

I doubt if they would take "The AF1" - 747 into Baghdad, I think it is too big, slow, and doesn't have the maneuverability particulary for approach and landing.

Yeah, that's what I thought the last time I flew one...

Guess they should have flown a "metroliner"?

Thanks for the well thought out and informative post...

 

[flywithastick]

I was glad to see the President visit the troops. I wish I could be sure it wasn't a political move. If it was W.'s idea, fine. If this is more Karl Rove manipulation, that's another story.

So what if it was. It was a major score for the US.

Would you libs rather NOT score for the US, if it is also a score for Bush. Ahhh! I think we've hit the root of the problem...

 

[cvsfly]

Apparently they flew the larger AF1 to Andrews then got a Gulfstream. CNN had reported that the mission was almost compromised when a BA flight inquired if AF1 had just passed them in flight. The response was "No, its a Gulfstream....(pause) " and the BA pilot responded "Oh ... OK". Way to go George. He's got leadership and courage. Its for the troops. Screw those who have anything negative to say.

 

[de Pez]

Gulfstream?...Nonstop to Baghdad...You don't get it do you?

 

[Super 80]

Apparently they flew the larger AF1 to Andrews then got a Gulfstream.

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashbb.htm

That's not what Drudge is reporting. Both flights were aboard Air Force One. There's more than one aircraft. They did not use the call sign though for obvious security reasons.

I doubt if CNN has it right. I'm not sure if the air traffic controllers would let another aircraft get that close to Air Force One which is the normal procedure. If you manage to see it flight, you have good eyes. They may not have had the increased separation that AF1 usually has but it also operated at night without the usual running lights, even the mandatory nav lights according to Drudge.

 

[Super 80]

By the way, this is how a President with guts acts. The first thing I said was, "Wow." Then I said, "Honey, come read this!" The wife was equally impressed and said how nice it was to finally have a real President. If I had been there as a grunt, I would have had tears in my eyes. This will boost morale in a place that sorely needs it.

The message here went far beyond domestic political consumption, although the Democrats will be in fits since GW upstaged darling Hillary. This sends a message to the terrorists, the nations that harbor them, and nations criticizing Gulf War II, or George W's war.

Fly Air Force One in and out of a hostile zone and nobody knows about it! You couldn't read something like that in a Tom Clancey novel! Wanna make a fortune? Make a movie of this with all the behind the scenes drama.

 

[TonyC]

747 from Waco to D.C., another 747 from our capital to the capital of Iraq, nonstop.

Both 747's were the real deal, paint job and all. True, the call sign "Air Force 1" is only used when the President is aboard, but that doesn't mean every aircraft he flies is "Air Force 1" - - witness "Marine 1." I doubt your 152 (getonit) could use the moniker. And the 747 is not the slug you might think it is.

There is a passive defensive system that does a decent job of defeating shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles. We had it on the airplane I flew in that region, and although we never used it, I'm told it's quite effective. I feel pretty certain the AF1 747's have that or better. I doubt DHL has thought to pony up the dough to protect its cargo planes with this very expensive system - - and that's why the mail has less protection than the President.

But then again, shouldn't the President get more protection than the mail?

 

[Timebuilder]

EVERY president has advisors. If Carl was involved, I don't mind a bit.

Let's look back for a moment at the Clinton visit to Normandy. The former president, who is not known to be a particularly religious or even a moral man, takes some refuse on the beach (strategically placed by his handlers, it has been reported) and forms a cross. He pauses, looks pensively at the cross.

*snap, snap, snap, snap , snap, snap*

He walks on.

Leaving a funeral, he is seen yukking it up with another attendee. That is until he sees he is being watched by a camera. They, his expression immediately changes to one of sadness, and he wipes away an invisible "tear".

Now, I have to admit that I helped put that turkey on the table when he first ran for office, before I came to my senses.

But let's think for a moment, and let's assume that someone like Carl Rove beat Bush to the punch and suggested a trip to Bagdad. Was Bush's heart in it, and was he on board 100%, or was he only interested in the promotional value of the visit, a la the Clinton visit to Normandy, an out of character gesture that he would never naturally do left to his own devices?

I think it beyond the obvious that this visit was entirely in character for Bush, and that he could think of no place better to be that day, as he is thankful to God, which is the historical signifigance of the Thanksgiving Holiday, and he is thankful to our troops, who are doing a wonderful job in their difficult circumstances.

God bless our troops, God blesss our President, and God bless the USA.