Quote:
Originally posted by sycamore
Realistically though, tw, from a government perspective, the safety of the President is first and foremost in a situation like this. Truth be told, even if Dubya WANTED to head back to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, the Secret Service would not have allowed that. If it were made clear that the President was heading immediately back to Washington, it could have possibly caused more chaos. At 10am yesterday morning, the country was reeling--the government was scrambling to restore some type of order.
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When Air Force One made a left turn for protection at Barksdale AFB, that was prudent. But by the time AF1 left Louisiana, 1) all airplanes were grounded, 2) any airplane left in the air would be immediately challenged by fighters or Navy Aegis ships, 3) AF1 flew at altitudes above any commercial flight (actual altitude still remains classified), and 4) any approaching aircraft would first be confronted by F-16s probably with missiles hot at pilot's discression. Long before George Jr arrived at a SAC base, any threat was long gone.
A leader would have recognized his leadership in Washington was necessary when in Louisiana. Indeed, remember 3 Mile Island? When Carter and wife arrived, there were expectations that an explosion was expected within those hours. Technicians were on the verge of bolting for their lives. Carter's arrival, as a true leader, was instrumental at finally settling wild fears among the experts. IOW a leader is the man who ends the chaos - as Carter did in 3 Mile Island, as Johnson did to hurry back to Washington from Dallas, and as Kennedy did during the Cuban Missile Crisis (the movie Thirteen Days) when he took personal command of Naval movements. Where was George Jr when chaos required his presence?
No wonder the White House speculates that it and AF1 was a target. Reporter's questions in that live press conference made White House statements look silly. Reporters asked most of above four questions and received stonewalling answers. Now we know the flight path into the Pentagon. The White House cited the flight path as proof. But an ABC news reporter bluntly said the flight path disproves White House statements. Why did the White House probably lie? Maybe George Jr's people recognized how un-Presidential his actions were. He failed to demonstrate leadership when it was required.
Of course his decision then was trivial in comparision. Tougher decisions come in the next few weeks. George Jr must hear it from his own people. He must be a more decisive leader.
George Jr has his father's legacy. Thank goodness for Margaret Thatcher who put a backbone (while in Denver) into George Sr. The exact quote, as George Sr reported it, remains inbedded in my mind. "This will not stand." Only then did George Sr become decisive and go against advise of his Sec of Defense (Cheney). If only George Jr had his own Iron Lady. The man must find his backbone because even his own staff should have seen that no threat existed. Tougher decisions remain. The President must personally call most every world leader - especially all Middle East leaders. He must find his backbone. This next week and month is where leadership will be measured. If this is indeed "war", then it begins with actions by top management - George Jr.