Rudy Guiliani re: Air Force 1 flyover

April 29, 2009

Rudy Guiliani was on Fox & Friends just now giving his take. He was pretty mild. They didn’t ask him if he thought there was any way barry didn’t know about it.

He was asked how he would have reacted if he was still mayor:

I imagine very much like a Mike did. Mike was very angry about it - except my language might not have as…genteel. He talks a little different than I do sometimes. But I would have had exactly the same reaction that he had. I’d have been outraged and very, very upset that they did it, on a number of different levels, not the least of which is not informing us - not informing the people - clearly some of whom were panicked by it.

And you know I hate to make too much of — because they did apologize for it - but doesn’t it show a complete lack of understanding of September 11, once again? We’ve redefined it so much we can’t use the word terrorism. We can’t use the word Islamic terrorism. We can use the word terrorism about returning veterans.

There’s a big gap here and this White House. Look at it from another point of view - suppose it were a private jet and from some big American company - GE, GM whatever. The CEO would now be in very deep trouble for having used the plane to take a couple of background shots of something they have probably millions of shots. After all the different explanations trying to hide what this is about. What this is about was taking pictures.

The White House said it was a training mission. It cost an estimated $328, 835.

Anytime you put Air Force One up in the air it’s a training mission by definition. You’re probably trying to keep up the hours, keep up the training for the pilots. That’s why these planes are so darn expensive. Remember that when they go after everybody on private planes. How often the president uses it. How often he uses it for discretionary purposes. Go to San Diego to have a press conference instead of having it in Washington.

I don’t begrudge him that - nor do I think he should undo it. But I do think - boy, if it was a Republican, the hypocrisy would be right out front. He’s saying corporate executives shouldn’t use airplanes. And then he’s using this airplane you can say may be half the time for discretionary reasons when he could save money.

You know there are some reporters here in New York want to see the flight manifest want to see who was on board.

I once used a helicopter to take photographs from. I would do it when I actually had to be on the helicopter anyway. For a photographic exhibit for charity - for the Children’s Foundation. I took 25 photographs of New York and about a third of them from the helicopter. But I remember once going to a fire - I used to keep with me, and I would shoot. You get great shots from places like that.

But the reality, is they gotta clear this. If you going to do this mission, you gotta clear it.

I think the mayor will be very angry that people actually withheld this information from him and he couldn’t warn the people on the ground.

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POTUS doesn’t know about low-flying planes in NYC??
White House Dir Military Office, Louis Caldera re: Air Force 1 flyover
Sen Schumer re: Air Force 1 flyover (video)
barry’s 24 words re: Air Force 1 flyover
Videos: Air Force 1 footage + fleeing observers
(4-27) Robert Gibbs re: Air Force 1 flyover
(4-28) Robert Gibbs re: Air Force 1 flyover
(4-29) Rudy Guiliani re: Air Force 1 flyover