WH Military Affairs Director Resigns in Wake of Air Force One Flyover

So who didn’t see this coming?

Why was he there in the first place? And why did an F-16 from the Alabama Air National Guard take part?

The F-16 that carried the photographer was provided by the Alabama Air National Guard, on loan to the Washington DC Air National Guard. There is your answer it was in the other article.

Of course, White House officials including Obama, had no knowledge that this flight was taking place (even though it was supposed to be kept Top Secret). Of course.

give him the benefit of the doubt…he may have ducked outside for a smoke during that part of the briefing

I think its a shame this poor guy was thrown under the bus.
I cannot imgine that a staffer at his level would have all the authorities to approve the use of AF 1 and other US assets for a photo shoot. I would imagine, I would hope that the WH would have better internal controls to review and approve such uses of taxpayer assets.

As someone said it was “stupidity bordering on felony”. He needed to go.
Now what was the mission trying to accomplish? What was the purpose?

This guy was appointed by Bush. You can’t trust any of the Republicans. Mr. President please be mindful.

What took him so long?
And is he going to repay the $350,000 dollars he wasted, when they could have just used PhotoShop?

I kind of like the picture. Too bad they didn’t take it and just let NYorkers know. It’s a great picture. Sort of a strenght and grace image of America all rolled into one.

“Posted by: liz | May 8, 2009 4:34:23 PM
I think its a shame this poor guy was thrown under the bus.
I cannot imgine that a staffer at his level would have all the authorities to approve the use of AF 1 and other US assets for a photo shoot. I would imagine, I would hope that the WH would have better internal controls to review and approve such uses of taxpayer assets.”
Liz …
get the facts right, this guy was no low level staffer, he was a former high level appointee at or above the Senior Executive Service level … he wasn’t thrown under the bus — he got on the bus, started the engine, put it in drive, then got off and stepped out in front of it, like an idiot.

“Louis Caldera to be Director of White House Military Office
December 02, 2008 10:47 AM
Building on his list of Clinton-era officials, President-elect Barack Obama picked Louis Caldera today to lead the White House Military Office. Caldera was appointed by Bill Clinton to serve as managing director and chief operating officer for the Cooperation for National and Community Service, and then as Secretary of Army in 1998.”
***********************************
So much for a right-wing conspiracy. Again, Obama’s awesome pick for a high-level position in his administration is riddled with incompetence and scandal… but please, keep drinking the kool-aid…

The pres, BO, would have been briefed that one of his AF-1′s was out on a photo op, and the WH Military Office did inform the local authorities in New York. Why aren’t local New York officials’ heads rolling for not passing the information down to the public? This guy got screwed. And blaming W for this is completely pointless so get over it. Waste of $$? Yes. Witch hunt?? Yes.

Awful picture… the Statue of Liberty is so small and on the bottom … not very scenic at all.
But I do not think Caldera was alone in the process and authorization, but he is the one thrown under the bus to make it look legit.
For 328K, you would have thought it would be a blowout beautiful picture… we got scammed.

The next two weeks will be spent “out-processing.”
You don’t have to put out-processing in quotation marks. It’s common when you PCS in the Military you out-process the losing base and in-process the gaining base. Unless you just wanted to highlight that he was leaving.

A few others who were involved need to step down or be fired. Also, as someone else posted, “don’t forget to add him in the Un-Employment count”!

1 down 1000 to go!!!!!!!!!! Pelosi next? Then maybe Gibbs.

$328,000 for that picture? sounds like a $700 hammer for those of you who can remember back a few years.

This is on par for the OBAMANATION, they brag about their bipartianship we see the reason for it now scapegoats. Liberals will always be liberals blaming anyone but them no matter what history say, JIM CROW DEMOCRATS still practicing the same hatred as ever.

The prez doesn’t know where his plane is? What else doesn’t he know? He really is quite clueless when you think about it. He didn’t know his house was being financed by a felon, he didn’t know he was a member of a hate-filled church, he didn’t know his wife was never proud of being an American, he didn’t know his aunt was illegal living in the projects of Boston, he didn’t know his brother lived in a hut on 20$ a year, he didn’t know most of his cabinet cheated on their taxes including his treasury sec. he didn’t know his other brother raped a girl as an illegal in london, Mr. Obama is quite clueless!

The duty to raise the alarm about possible panic fell upon the local authorities – the NYPD and Mayor’s office who were informed IN ADVANCE and did not reply with any concern or objections.
Republicans are desperately trying to make this a Monica Moment for the Whitehouse and it has become a distracting media farce – we should be fighting about health care, cap and trade, options to deal with Pakistan. Obama’s Whitehouse (like Bush Sr’s and Reagan’s before him) knows that the public’s opinion matters, so even if it’s not fair after careful consideration Caldera had to step up and take responsibility.
Now can we get back to the fights that matter?

I wonder if there is a rogue faction in the military who wanted to film a passenger jet over NYC so that they could later modify the film and stage a terror attack. The defense industry is big business and without a reason to spend money on defense, these guys get cranky.

The way Obama is wasting our tax money, it is no surprise this happened. There is probably nobody in the White House with a lick of common sense and there hasn’t been for many years. Does anybody in our government realize that there is no money, our government is broke. Their strategy to address the problem is to keep on printing until the dollar becomes so worthless it won’t buy ink and paper anymore.
Wake up America, our government is out of control. We should vote out all in office with a (D) or an (R) after their name. There are a few good ones but the majority of Americans are too ignorant to figure out who they are. Both parties are corrupt to the core.

Things like this could be avoided if the President’s staff would own up to the fact that they are suppose to be taking care of him, and not pretend they are just there. Too much pretending. I’m sure the plane’s pilot told and asked approval of the White House’s manager. Without a direct route to Secret Service what else was he suppose to do??????? Did anyone tell you that the host of the event had a video of The Little Rascals right on the desk???? Racial slur if you ask me.But you didn’t ask me.

Gee, and all this time I thought Bush was in charge of transportation and water distribution during Katrina.

This is on par for the OBAMANATION, they brag about their bipartianship we see the reason for it now scapegoats. Liberals will always be liberals blaming anyone but them no matter what history say, JIM CROW DEMOCRATS still practicing the same hatred as ever.
Posted by: Patrick Hagger
————————-
…yeah because carl rove, rush limbaugh, sean hannity, ann coulter and michael savage are true voices of love and tolerance of their fellow man.

From whitehousegov:
Air Force One is maintained and operated by the Presidential Airlift Group, part of the White House Military Office. The Airlift Group was founded in 1944 as the Presidential Pilot Office at the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. For the next 20 years, various propeller driven aircraft served the President. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy became the first President to fly in his own jet aircraft, a modified Boeing 707. Over the years, several other jet aircraft have been used, with the first of the current aircraft being delivered in 1990 during the administration of President George H. W. Bush.

that is a pretty picture that “fearless” Obama released, how about the ones with all the people running for their lives. Wanna buy that one?

This is a delightful thread. There are folks out there who will leap to this administration’s defense no matter what it does. Anyhow, what’s the big deal? He inherited this ill-advised photo-op from Bush, didn’t he?
What a hoot!

Gee, you don’t suppose those photos were originally commissioned to advertise the “reopening” of the Statue of Liberty today, do you? And used Air Force One as a subtle reminder that we have Obama to thank for being all safe now? Nah!

Aren’t you people the same ones hollering that “heads should roll” when this incident happened?
Well now a head rolled, and you are still b!tching. Seems to me that some of you are determined not to want our President and our country to do well, no matter what.
I knew that “Country First” stuff was a bunch of crap !!!

I would really be embarrased if I had voted for Obama. He is acting as if he has a blank check, wait he does. This is getting good and I am “sure” Obama did not know about this photo op? HA HA HA.

Some of the comments here are just astonishing:
New Yorkers are babies who get scared of planes so somebody has to be fired. Oh brother. Obama has no backbone.
Are we getting so COWARDLY that an airplane flying by scares us?? New Yorkers, I know you’re tougher than that and you are kicking yourselves for overreacting.
I mean. Wow. Just wow. Really? Some you all really think this? Are you really so overboard in your Obama cult worship, that you really believe this?
But this one takes real chutzpah:
This guy was appointed by Bush. You can’t trust any of the Republicans. Mr. President please be mindful.
Blaming Bush. Now that’s funny!

So a bunch of citizens got a little worried because they didn’t recognize a plane that was being used for a well documented exercise…and this guy gets raked over the coals and ruined? Everyone who should have known in NY did. And most everyone who had any reason to know at the White House did. I’m failing to see the real issue here.

It seems to me that this was payback for campaign donors. That photo is terrible, an amateur could set up a shot better than that. This was a mess up on a large scale.
It would be nice if the media took more of an interest in this wasteful use of taxpayers money and less interest in Mrs. Obama’s fashion sense and Mr. Obama’s mustard choices.

Seems like overkill to fire the guy (force his resignation…whatever) for making a dumb move. Ill-advised? Yeah. Clumsy? Undoubtedly. Heck, I’ll even call it plain stupid! But the punishment seems out of proportion and heaped on one guy. If everyone who posted on this article was held to the same accountability for their own stupid moves (and don’t act like you’ve never made a mistake) then everybody would be out of a job.
Nice picture. Certainly not worth the brouhaha though.

The ABC photo does look a lot better than the one they are showing at other news sites. It looks brighter and clearer. Nice job, ABC art department!

Once again Obama doesn’t have the leadership to just fire the guy–just like with Tom Daschle.
BO waits for them to resign so that it’s not his fault.
He’s a wimp that doesn’t even know when his own plane goes for a $350k joy ride.
A ride we paid for.

Don’t swine:”Since when has facts ever mattered to a liberal. I remember…”
Ok then, if you prefer to play “I remember” to spin a fantasy land that you prefer over reality, have fun.
Posted by: jhw539 | May 8, 2009 6:02:41 PM
Where have you been. News Max. Along with the hurricane devastation in New Orleans and skyrocketing gas prices, Gabler ties Gibson’s tirade-under-the-influence to the radicalization of America “since the election of George Bush.”
Wall street Journal
The treatment President Bush has received from this country is nothing less than a disgrace. The attacks launched against him have been cruel and slanderous, proving to the world what little character and resolve we have. The president is not to blame for all these problems. He never lost faith in America or her people, and has tried his hardest to continue leading our nation during a very difficult time.
Our failure to stand by the one person who continued to stand by us has not gone unnoticed by our enemies. It has shown to the world how disloyal we can be when our president needed loyalty — a shameful display of arrogance and weakness that will haunt this nation long after Mr. Bush has left the White House.
Mr. Shapiro is an investigative reporter and lawyer who previously interned with John F. Kerry’s legal team during the presidential election in 2004
NOW WHO IS IN A FANTASY LAND.

How well I remember when President Bush flew out to greet USS Abraham Lincoln, freshly returning from a deployment in which they had taken part in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The crew justifiably wanted to display a “Mission Accomplished” banner on the carrier, employing a phrase that is used countless times in every war by men and units who have done just that.
The ship contacted a White House aide, Dan Bartlett, to see if they could do so, and he gave the OK. Mr. Bush knew nothing about it.
When the war turned ugly, suddenly the banner was used to deride Mr. Bush, as if he had made it himself and intended that it be displayed to signify that the war had been won.
Where were those on that occasion who might have inquired, “does anyone think Bush had actual knowledge of this thing?”

Don’t swine:”Since when has facts ever mattered to a liberal. I remember…”
Ok then, if you prefer to play “I remember” to spin a fantasy land that you prefer over reality, have fun.
Posted by: jhw539 | May 8, 2009 6:02:41 PM
OK HERE IS SOME MORE
Don’t swine:”Since when has facts ever mattered to a liberal. I remember…”
Ok then, if you prefer to play “I remember” to spin a fantasy land that you prefer over reality, have fun.
Posted by: jhw539 | May 8, 2009 6:02:41 PM
HERE IS SOME MORE
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow used the occasion of President George W. Bush’s final address to suggest that he was to blame for the destruction of New Orleans as well as the felling of the World Trade Center.

That’s a beautiful photograph!

To the most transparent administration ever….
Why don’t you release our other photos–we paid for them.
Tell us who was on the plane and why.
Who will reimburse the taxpayers for the $300K?

“How well I remember when President Bush flew out to greet USS Abraham Lincoln, freshly returning from a deployment in which they had taken part in the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. The crew justifiably wanted to display a “Mission Accomplished” banner on the carrier, employing a phrase that is used countless times in every war by men and units who have done just that.”
Yes that was the story the Bush admin told, blaming the troops for their idiocy.

“MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow used the occasion of President George W. Bush’s final address to suggest that he was to blame for the destruction of New Orleans as well as the felling of the World Trade Center.”
Rachel was right.
Bush was complicit in having a completely unqualified moron running FEMA because he was one of Bush’s buddies.
And even though Bush was warned that Al Queda was planning an attack, not alert was issued, no extra security precautions were enacted.
And that doesn’t even get into his invading a country thta was no threat to us and had nothing to with 9/11.

“Where were those on that occasion who might have inquired, “does anyone think Bush had actual knowledge of this thing?”"
No, I think most people are now well aware that Bush was more prop then President so the question of what did he know and when did he know it is irrelevant.

The spineless Obama administration releases this information on a Friday evening.
Hoping no one will notice how incompetent and irresponsible they are.
And how they waste our money.
This is one time the MSM actually reported one of BO’s huge blunders.
He must be shocked.

I just realized this whole thing is a plot by Hillary to get Billy Dale his job back.

“Not so good for the GOP.”
You shoulda seen it back in ’74, after Watergate. Six years later Ronaldus Maximus swept into the White House and changed the world forever. “On the morning of the day he died, he was the greatest man in the world.”

“the question of what did he know and when did he know it is irrelevant.”
But it is relevant with Obama, right? Or is it not relevant? Please let us know…

“But it is relevant with Obama, right? Or is it not relevant? Please let us know…”
For this incident?
This is very likely last (and foreseeable) chapter in this little story.
Though of course right wingers will keep their fake outrage up about it….until they find a new fake outrage that maybe resonantes more.

“Navy Commander and Pentagon spokesman Conrad Chun said the banner referred specifically to the aircraft carrier’s 10-month deployment (which was the longest deployment of a carrier since the Vietnam War) and not the war itself, saying ‘It truly did signify a mission accomplished for the crew.’
“The White House claimed that the banner was requested by the crew of the ship, who did not have the facilities for producing such a banner. Afterwards, the administration and naval sources stated that the banner was the Navy’s idea, White House staff members made the banner, and it was hung by the U.S. Navy personnel.”
Of course those who have never served would be quick to say that the navy people were simply lying.

As if the Bush administration was too stupid to understand the significance of a “Mission Accomplished” banner in all of the media. Hah!

I’m glad those crooks, swindlers and liars from the Bush administration are gone. Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Nobody’s putting down sailors, just the Bush administration for their dumbness and lying.

“Nobody’s putting down sailors…”
Those who never wore a uniform wouldn’t understand.

Well, looks like Nobama’s thrown yet another under the bus to protect himself.
At least it wasn’t his grandmother this time.

Hey, I have an idea! Let’s buzz NYC with Air Force One! Let’s use HD quality photography so we can see all the people on the ground running for their lives!
I want to be a buzz brain like Pelosi.
What is wrong with people? I guess that’s what happens when you remove prayer and Bible study from the schools.

Skip that’s the Bush administration approach. Lie, lie lie and then pray for the best.

All this fuss over a plane that was clear as day Air Force One flying over New York. Then all the NYer drama queens running around screaming. Sorta makes us all look pretty wimpy.

Why,with the economy as it is, does the Obama administration waste so much precious fosil fuel to create propaganda for it’s narcissistic leader (and make our dear Mother Earth weep). Are we to view these pics with awe and praise our hallowed leader as those He himself is the power of freedom and liberty. He daily disgusts me and many others with His arrogance. If Bush did this …

Yes, Glenda @ 5:29:29 p.m. heads should roll, but not a straw man set up by the W.H. as cover for a questionable undertaking – and even then, late on Friday after the evening news and network media have turned off the lights.
Unless it was a photograph of those onboard, which it wasn’t, I didn’t care if the W.H released a token photo or not. We’ve already seen amateur pics and videos of the president’s low-flying Boeing VC-25 buzzing lower Manhattan accompanied by an F-16 fighter jet. Now, I want to see the flight manifest. I want to read the names of those who were on that plane.

I would like to know who was on that plane, after all we did pay for the plane and trip. I don’t think they can clam national security.

Remember when Obama said the buck stops with him. Obviously I do but Obama seems to have forgotten. Obama is a disgrace to this great country.

“What were these pics to be used for? To glorify Barak Obama.”
Have you seen the current official picture of Air Force One flying over Mt Rushmore?
Is there anything in the picture that tells you who was president when it was taken? It’s just a picture of Air Force One. You can spare us the hysterics.

“I’m 66 years old and I have never seen them this discombobulated.”
Well, you were 21 years old when Goldwater was routed, and you were 31 when Watergate went down. Were you living in a shoe, or what?

Skip..”I wasn’t aware that praying in school would help prevent public relations fiascos.”
I totally agree Skip, this was a public relations fiasco to the ninth degree…just another mis-step in one of Mr Obama’s appointees..

So are we to believe that they go through weeks of planning a flyover photoshoot and they end up using the pilot of the F-16 escort’s camera and not a professional photographer??? This looks fishy. Who was the F-16 pilot? What was he briefed? Was this the only photographer used or were their others? When can we see the weight and balance form for that flight? When can we see the aircraft manifest? When can we see the DD-175 flight plan with required manifest? Can the press ask some questions?

Maybe Biden was on a joyride.

Watergate was nothing to compared to the nightmare of Obama. I’d take Nixon spying on his political enemies over almost of the any of the stupid, socialist, anti-constituional, immoral stunts that Obama has done already. Don’t kid yourselves bots, Obama is by far the worse president ever.

“Obama is by far the worse president ever.”
RCP Average 62.5 30.5 +32.0
Gallup 66 28 +38
Rasmussen Reports 58 41 +17
Ipsos/McClatchy 65 31 +34
Quinnipiac 58 30 +28
Diageo/Hotline 62 33 +29
NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl 61 30 +31
CNN/Opinion Research 63 33 +30
CBS News/NY Times 68 23 +45
ABC News/Wash Post 69 26 +43
FOX News 62 29 +33
Marist 55 31 +24

PresGov:”Watergate was nothing to compared to the nightmare of Obama. I’d take Nixon spying on his political enemies… Don’t kid yourselves bots, Obama is by far the worse president ever.”
Completely devoid of any facts or reason, just another two minute hate from the Right. It would be awfully nice if Republicans put as much into governing and working on our problems as they put into blindly hating Obama.

Terry:”Who was on the airplane, who was the pilot?”
Other than serving as fodder for Republican’s next scheduled two minute hate, can you cite specifically why this matters? Do the people on the plane have any impact on the effect it had, future policy to prevent a re-occurrence, or anything else? And do you likewise petulantly demand ABCnews rundown who was on the VC-25 during the photo-op over Mt Rushmore?

Hi RyanC,
Does a poll rating even matter in considering who was good president? Results in the long term are what counts. History will decide that.
At one point, President Bush’s poll rating were in the 80′s. Does that make him, in your eyes, the best president in history?
Do you know what Mr. Obama’s poll ratings will be 6 months from now? How about 1 year from now? Time will tell. Our grandchildren, who will be strapped with his enormous debt undertakings, will be making an early assessment!
History will decide what kind of president he will be.

Yesterday I read that Fox news has
filed a freedom of information act,
they want to know who was on that scare force one flight.
Checkmate

The Xth in a long line of BO failures. At least he appears to be trying to do something – better than the previous guy. Small issue, get over it. There will be much more important thoughts in the next few years.

Carol…….If I could vote her out I would but, why do Californians keep voting her into office that’s the real question. Lying seems to have become a non-partisan rule in congress and Washington.

“Because the navy never ever lied (tailhook) to CYA on public raltions.”
Tell us who told what lie concerning tailhook. ROFLMAO! (That oughta do it.)
And would that be proof that they lied in this instance? And how would lying in this instance cover their A? Seems like if they’d wanted to CYA they’d have said they had nothing to do with it.
You’ll need a little work on making sense. In the meantime, it’s loads of fun coming to your assistnce.

Its called getting thrown under the bus. Its a common government practice.
this guy was just implementing a directive. No further action required.
INFIDELz.

DOES ANYONE have a count on the number of incompetents and crooks Mr. O’Babble has on his team ? Folks, our country is in serious trouble !

Every person,regardless of which administration/party is in power, should be held accountable. Having said that, we all know that “heads roll” when it involves or could involve the higher ups. Someone MUST pay and in this case, Caldera was the guy. I still have a hard time believing that he “just didn’t think” about informing the WH. I must confess; if one of the lackey’s in the bush administration had said that, the media would still be calling for bush’s head. Quit the double standard and hold all accountable, regardless of where it leads. Obama is NO better than any other president – just a different color and that should never matter.

Another lie from Obama ….Will Obama ever take the blame on anything….Obama know about this and he’s lieing about it and as like aways someone takes the fall for him….Obama really needs to start acting like a President…Obama doesn’t get it ..Does he really think the American people will vote him back in office in 4 years because of all his lieing…This is not the only lie Obama has been caught in either…

President Obama didn’t know the
photo op was authorized.
He didn’t know Bill Ayers, the man who
helped launch his political career
was a former domestic terrorist.
He didn’t know Rev Wright made
hateful speeches in the church he
attended for 20 years.
He didn’t know that Tim Geithner and other cabinet appointees were tax cheats.
Nancy Pelosi didn’t know the CIA was
waterboarding suspected terrorists at
Guantanimo, even though she was briefed
on said waterboarding.
Barney Frank and Chris Dodd didn’t know that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were
going down the tubes despite the fact that they had oversight on both
agencies.
Sounds like the Keystone Kops are
running our country and
Robert Gibbs is their spokesperson!
How appropriate.

reaganfan
too bad Bush & Cheney knew there were no WMD’s but ‘the decider’ started a war anyway, neither of them gave much thought about how to win, but it made them feel ‘manly’ to start one.
so your list doesn’t equate to getting Americans killed and wounded in a needless pre-emptive war of choice, that even Cheney advocated against in 1994.
where’s the accountability for the fools who were placed in charge of the ‘Iraqi reconstruction’?.. where did that 9 billion in cash end up?.. “Brownie, your doing a great job”..Mission Accomplished… where’s the accountability for placing unqualified religious zealots in positions of authority……. and on and on……
just imagine all the ‘good stuff’ docs that are about to be released which will no doubt reveal more malfeasance by Bush & Cheney
BTW: ever check out old ‘Ronnie’s’ fiscal record from his days as president… you might be very surprised

I don’t understand why Air Force One had to terrorize the people of New York in order to fly over the Statue of Liberty. Couldn’t buzzing Manhattan have been easily avoided?
Things are getting curiouser and curiouser.