April 28, 2009
Source: NY Times City Room A. G. Sulzberger & Matthew L. Wald
[The e-mail notification] did have the normal language of saying this is sensitive information, should be distributed on a need-to-know basis, that they did not plan to have any publicity about it, which I think is ridiculous and just poor judgment.
Why the Defense Department wanted to do a photo-op right around the site of the World Trade Center catastrophe defies imagination. Poor judgment would be a nice ways to phrase it, but they did. I also think that once they had told us, we should have done a better job. Had I known about it, I would have called them right away and asked them not to. It is the federal government and they can do in the end what they please, but I would have tried to stop it. I don’t know there’s a lot else to say other than they shouldn’t have done it.
NYPD:
The flight of a VC-25 aircraft and F-16 fighters this morning was authorized by the F.A.A. for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it but to direct any inquiries to the F.A.A. Air Traffic Security Coordinator.
FAA spokesman JIM PETERS:
the photo op was approved and coordinated with everyone.
Pentagon press secretary GEOFF MORRELL
It was such an obvious mistake that I think it is virtually impossible that it will happen again. Everybody in the wake of this now realizes how insensitive it was and what a mistake it was not to inform the American people, the residents of New York, particularly lower Manhattan, in advance.
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Here’s a few more comments. Source: CNN [emphasis added]
Bush former Homeland Security adviser FRAN TOWNSEND:
I’d call this felony stupidity. This is probably not the right job for Mr. Caldera to be in if he didn’t understand the likely reaction of New Yorkers, of the mayor.
SEN JOHN MCCAIN letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying he was “profoundly disturbed” by the flyover “against the backdrop of September 11.” And that:
“The supposed mission represents a fundamentally unsound exercise in military judgment and may have constituted an inappropriate use of Department of Defense resources”.
CAPT ANNA CARPENTER, Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland said local law enforcement agencies and the FAA had been given notice of the “mission” aka barry photo shoot.
FAA said it was taking part in a classified, government-sanctioned photo shoot.
Deputy Commissioner PAUL J BROWNE said the NYPD had been alerted about the flight “with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it.”
LINDA GARCIA-ROSE is a therapist who counsels PTSD patients said she was inundated with calls from them. She is considering filing a class action suit on behalf of her patients, calling the flight an “absolute travesty.” I’m sure there are many more. At the very least they could use a direct apology from barry.
GARCIA-ROSE: There was no warning. It looked like the plane was about to come into us. I’m a therapist, and I actually had a panic attack. [Her patients] traumatized. They’re asking ‘How could this happen?’ They’re nervous. Their anxiety levels are high. I believe the government has done something really wrong.
I second it. And I sure wish someone would ask why barry wouldnt know about a) low-flying planes in NYC and b) a “classified mission”. Who has the authority to run classified mission without the POTUS’ ok
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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
Mayor Bloomberg, NYPD, FAA, Pentagon 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
