Secretary Gates Concerned About Violation of Protocols for Air Force One Flyover

Think of all the sneakers Michelle could have bought with that money. How many school vouchers for DC kids?

“The White House is expected to release both the photographs taken on the mission…”
$328,835 for two photographs? TWO?

Does anyone really believe that the White House Chief of Staff or others in the White House knew nothing about this?

Sigmonde: Does anyone really believe that the New York Mayor’s office AND the NYPD really did not know about this ahead of time? You know, after they admitted they had been notified. As locals who lived through 9/11, THEY hadn’t seen any problem with this. As the local authorities, it was their duty to raise local concerns.
But I guess everyone else, with 20/20 hindsight, can see how “obvious” it was.

Mondo: Are you in favor of eliminating Air Force pilot training due to the expense?
The photos were a ‘while we’re there’ part of the mission. The money would have been spent regardless to get the crews the seat time that makes our pilots the best in the world.

First of all that plane would have been on a mission regardless, it just went over NYC for a photo op, but it was in the area and training regardless.
Second of all the NYCPD were informed of this so it makes no sense not to inform the mayor, etc.
This is a big to do over nothing just trying to put some blame for something wrong on this administration.

“The photos were a ‘while we’re there’ part of the mission.”
It’s Mongo, not Mondo, though Mondo sounds more worldly. Your statement is only valid if you willingly suspend your disbelief. Translation, politicians lie, and this group appears to be even more teflon-coated than Clinton when caught in a lie.
It’s the “Wasn’t Me” presidency. And, the press just beams with enchanted sighs and goosebumps.

Why does the Defense Dept. use the amortized annual costs of the entire contract to maintain and operate Air Force One (“allocated on a per flying hour basis,” per Gates’ letter) for the VC-25, but only variable costs of the mission for the 2 F-16s? It makes no sense that a 747 cost more than 10x the cost of two F-16s for the same mission. Talk about apples and oranges!

White House sources say President Obama was “furious” when he heard of the incident.
Imagine how upset he’ll be when he hears there’s going to be a $1,800,000,000,000 deficit next year.
He’ll go through the roof if anybody ever tells him a pompous empty-headed ignoramus like Joe Biden became Vice President somehow.

Barb the blame is that an adminsitration such as this socialist one even is allowed to function.

And this president is way better than the last one who had thousands killed and injured in a senseless war and made the world hate us. At least this one is doing something and trying to get us on our feet again. He was handed a huge mess…Bush did the first bailout w/o any strings attached….
And if you don’t like Pres. Obama no matter what I or anyone says you will blame him if it rains.

i am beginning to think that who was on the plane is very important. why all of the secrecacy for this transparent government?

“This is a big to do over nothing just trying to put some blame for something wrong on this administration.” – Barb
Obviously what happened in 2001 didn’t affect you in any way, and you have no right to speak for the people that it did affect.
The level of cynical self-centeredness among the “compassionate” Democrats in this country is sickening.

Betya our Greatest Smartest Clueless Leader was furious about not knowing what’s going on and who was flying his UFO (Utopian Force One).

Paul: for your information 9/11 DID affect me…don’t make comments about something you know nothing about. I knew people who had friends and who were killed or affected by this…It was horrible and no one can imagine what it was like. And they should not have flown that plane like they did. so please don’t put words in my mouth or assume you know me because you don’t!
But I said the NYCPD were aware of this mission and should have done something.
You obviously don’t like Pres. Obama and the Dems but you are in the minority…it’s people like you who voted Bush in and made our country a mess!

paul – “The level of cynical self-centeredness among the “compassionate” Democrats in this country is sickening.” — Odd isn’t it that you use your disagreement with a single post to insult a whole group of people is proving the point you are arguing against.

OMG, I can’t believe that we are STILL talking about this. Dang, move on! It’s already been admitted that it was a mistake and the Obama administration is conducting an investigation. What else do you want? Let’s go back in time and make it not happen?
Good God people, it was reported today that nearly 14 million of our fellow citizens are unemployed and this is what dominates some of your bitter lives.
Get over it already!

I really don’t believe that Obama didn’t know about this. I know that Caldera or whoever must have came up to Pelosi or Obama and let them know about this. Such a stupid plan cannot have been kept a secret. He had to have gotten authorization from the HNIC! Obama Furious? ha! why? cause i don’t believe he cares about this incident

Mike | May 8, 2009 2:21:56 PM
Exactly!!
Turnabout is not fair play to them.

If it had been Pres. Bush you would not have wanted to move on. Of course, Obama knew, he blamed Bush, how can that be.

I don’t understand…..releasing CIA information on waterboarding was OK and releasing the photo is a danger to security????

B:”I really don’t believe that Obama didn’t know about this. I know that Caldera or whoever must have came up to Pelosi or Obama and let them know about this… Obama Furious? ha! why? did he not get the free KFC on friday?”
Why didn’t the NYPD or the mayor’s office raise any concerns when they were told of the planned fly over IN ADVANCE? They were told not to notify the public, but the mayor’s office didn’t even think it a big enough deal to bump it up to the mayor’s desk (at least that is his claim). And they certainly could have (and knowing the NYPD, would have) talked back if they had forseen any problem. Members of the NYPD died on 9/11; if they didn’t forsee the bad reactions I don’t know who would.

Is anyone as sick of this story as I am? Who cares? must be a slow news day.

If you look closely at the pics Im sure you’ll see Obama in the window. Him and his administration are a joke with all the smoke and mirrors. He may say he was furious and did not know but the truth of the matter was he did know. Another exmaple of the idiocy…Just the other day him and biden took a full 75 car motorcade and ambulance to a burger joint here in arlington va. Its all about waste waste waste.

There is something fishy about this whole operation and we need to have it exposed.
Keep on this Jake! Those of us who are not partisan hacks appreciate it.

I agree with Amber’s opinion stated above. There are bound to be hundreds of pictures of Air Force One (or similar plane) in flight. A tech-savy aide could have worked the Photoshop magic and you’d have the pictures you wanted. All done while NOT freaking out NYC. As for training the pilots, what was the mission? How to fly escort? How to intercept/destroy jumbo jets? There must be ways to accomplish these types of training missions without causing this mess.

I am furious over this.

I am beside myself with faux outrage.

Does anyone think this may habe been a photo op for the blessed one’s campaign in 2012?

Cryos:”If you were Obama would you seriously trust the judgment of Caldera if he didn’t see any problems with arranging the photo op?”
What amazing hindsight you have. The NYPD AND the New York Mayor’s office were notified IN ADVANCE and didn’t see any problems (allegedly they didn’t even bother passing the note up to the Mayor). Should they also be summarily let go? Or are they just insensitive to what the locals went through on 9/11?

It’s Obama-Dosen’t-Waste-Presious-Time-Mico-Manageing-White-House-Resourses Gate! I bet this president has not even noticed that 2 staplers and an almost full pack of pens have been misappropriated by devious staffers! Impeach now before the presidential limousine gets an oil change 200 miles BEFORE the Jiffy-Lube sticker says it’s due!

This whole thing is so weird, one has to wonder what this really was. Was it really a photo-op? Really??? It’s quite doubtful. This was no “photo-op”. What the heck WERE they doing?

I can’t help but wonder if they were testing something. Hence all the secrecy. Not even the mayor of New York knew about it. Not even the PRESIDENT says he knew about it! NOBODY knew about it. And they’re saying it was a “photo-op”?

“Silky you failed to mention that they were threatened by the white house with prosecution if they (FAA,NYPD) announced the 911 simulation.”
You failed to consider that the issue is not that they couldn’t “announce” it, but that they didn’t notify the Mayor, nor did they pose any objection. As for the “911 simulation” comment…grow up.

All afternoon spent defending the photo op only to find out Caldera is out of a job. It sucks to be an Obama defender. He throws everyone under the bus. And by that, I mean everyone. Michelle and the girls might be safe, but no one else.

Posted by: Silky | May 8, 2009 4:21:04 PM
I don’t know why anyone was fired. According to you, there is no reason to fire anyone. Proper procedures were carried out. Why on earth do you think Obama fired the poor man? He has a family to feed, I would imagine. And times are tough out there.
I doubt under the bus goes away anytime soon. There are still a lot of people left that think Obama supports them and/or their agenda.

Not I’m waiting for jhw to come on and praise Obama for making the right decision to let Caldera go. After he posted it was a bad idea.
Jhw’s prophet accepted Caldera’s resignation therefore I accept all the liberal lemmings to toe the line.

I still don’t believe it was a ‘photo op’. It absolutely doesn’t make sense. Something is being hidden from We the People. What? Who was on the plane? Our Messiah and his inept crew lie to us? Banish the thought! Looking at the event on U-Tube and seeing and hearing the panic that those people suffered is unforgivable. This is the ‘hope’ and ‘change’ we get?

Obama deliberately terrorized the Citizens of New York. This is no different than lighting firecrackers under the window of Veterans of combat.
This is a criminal act and if Robert Gates had any morality he would resign and if Congress had any morals they would censure Obama over this and take Air Force One away from him for a year.
It is horrid to read all of the trauma those New Yorkers endured again.
It is pure Obama in spending a fortune on narcissistic pictures when Americans are out of work and we are facing immense debt due to his out of control spending.
Resignations and apologies are not going to solve this. This belongs in federal criminal courts and Obama cabinet level officers must resign.

big deal.
America has bigger problems to deal with. I don’t care who knew about what. It’s a non-issue…move on.

Gates should be “concerned” that his
boss, President Obama is lying about
who authorized the flight!
There is no way in hell that neither
the President or Vice President
knew this was going to happen or didn’t
authorize it themselves.
Those of you gullible citizens who
believe in the “tooth fairy” will
accept the Whitehouse explanation that
Mr. Caldera acted on his own!
Those of us who live in the real world
know the truth.
Yet another lie from Mr New Politics,
AKA President Obama!

I’ll tell you this much Clarity. It may be a non-issue to you in san fran or berkely or where ever you are but to us New Yorkers it is a huge issue. And since America does have bigger issues to deal with, why is the president authorizing stupid stuff like this? And don’t think everyone in the US is so naive that they actually believe that he didn’t know.