President's Jet Plans are Nixed (Clymer Alert)

USA TODAY ^ | Thursday May 1, 7:17 AM ET | Laurence McQuillan

[anymouse]

President Bush, who piloted a jet fighter in the Texas National Guard, wanted to relive the excitement today when he flies several hundred miles from San Diego to board the USS Abraham Lincoln as the aircraft carrier steamed home from the Iraq war.

Bush wanted to fly out on an F-18 fighter jet, White House officials said. Two seats: one for the pilot, one for the president. Bush speaks to the nation from the carrier tonight.

But the Secret Service balked at leaving Bush unguarded, and in the end, he acceded to the concern, according to the officials.

So today, when Bush gets to San Diego aboard Air Force One, he'll board a four-seat Navy S-3B Viking, temporarily christened Navy One, to reach the aircraft carrier.

''It's a very small plane,'' White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. The smaller and lighter the plane, the easier it is to make sure it stops in time.

Not exactly the one-seat F-102A ''Delta Dagger'' interceptor that Bush flew in Texas.

Bush will be in the front seat next to the pilot, Fleischer said. ''That's how small an airplane it is.'' In the other seats: a Secret Service agent and a Navy crewman.

Previous presidents' visits to carriers have been by helicopter, but the Lincoln will be too far from shore. An airplane landing is more exciting. The plane's tailhook grabs the landing cable to slow down fast. Once in a while, a plane misses the cable and the pilot has to fly up, turn around and try again. That's easier for a smaller, lighter plane like the one ferrying Bush.

Reporters at the White House on Wednesday asked Bush about flying to the carrier. ''Let me just say, stay clear of the landing pattern,'' he joked.

''This is one of the harder trips we've set up,'' Fleischer said. ''A lot of work has gone into it. The ship will be hundreds of miles from shore when the president arrives. It will be steaming the entire time. The speech will be given on the moving aircraft carrier literally bringing the sailors and Marines home to their families and loved ones.'' Never before has a president spoken to the nation live from an aircraft carrier.

The same satellite technology that broadcast journalists used for live news coverage of U.S. troops during the war in Iraq will allow the commander in chief to tell the world the conflict is all but over.

Bush will spend the night on the carrier and leave by helicopter early Friday, a few hours before the Lincoln reaches San Diego.

Bush will stay in one of two private quarters used by the ship's captain. It has a private bedroom and a dining area. He will be the third modern president to spend a night on a Navy vessel. Bill Clinton spent one night on the USS George Washington carrier in the English Channel in 1994 as part of observances marking the 50th anniversary of D-Day. The first President Bush spent two nights on the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship during a 1992 visit to Somalia.

The Lincoln docks later Friday, and then heads the next day for its home port of Everett, Wash., where it will arrive Tuesday. The carrier began its mission July 20, 2002. It will have been away for 290 days. That is the longest naval deployment since 1973, when the USS Midway logged 327 days.

[anymouse]

Leave it to the Clymers at USA Today to try to find fault with a sitting President trying to show appreciation for the sailors and aviators that just won a war handily.

They even have to point out that x42 once set foot on a carrier.

[dts32041]

What I want to know is who much stuff will be ripped off like, on the USS Washington, when klintoon an kompany were on it?

[Restorer]

But the Secret Service balked at leaving Bush unguarded, and in the end, he acceded to the concern, according to the officials.

The SS was stupid here. No reason the Pres shouldn't fly alone with a Navy pilot. I doubt he could be any safer.

[cateizgr8]

ping :)

[Mo1]

Wow, that must have really pained him to write this article .. and notice he couldn't resist putting Clinton's name in the article

[swheats]

I have to admit I was nervous on the two seater. There's no margins for error with this man's life.

Also you never know if we could have another sympathizer for the cause of Saddam among our brave men and women. Camp Pennsylvania in Kuwait should have taught us much.

Call me crazy, but this was a very wise call by the SS guys.

[Lucy Lake]

Check the media's luggage for missing items.

[jagrmeister]

In reading their articles, it's important to understand that the journalists at USA Today suffer from a serious inferiority complex. They've long been derided as McPaper, high on color and pictures and low on serious journalism. Even their founder, Al Neuharth, a devoted liberal, criticizes their paper in this manner. In a desperate bid to win favor with center-left and liberal newspapers, the USA Today has found that the winning strategy is to adopt a cynical attitude towards Bush and Republicans in general. After all, the most "respected" newspaper (the "newspaper of record" purportedly), the NY Times, earned its status in the journalism community by viciously attacking the GOP at every opportunity. The USA Today used to be more balanced than most papers- now it's just another Democrat party mouthpiece.

[kms61]

Glad it all worked out fine, but I'd really prefer he hadn't done this...Murphy's Law tends to enforce itself just when it's most inconvenient.

No doubt the SS guy was the best swimmer they could find and checked out on procedures to the nth degree. Ditto the Navy crewman, who was probably a SAR swimmer.

And I'll bet there was a planeload of PJ's flying as close as they could get. If they'd had to ditch, he could have walked to the carrier there'd have been so many dive teams in the water.

[American Soldier]

The best verdict on USA Today is that it is the model for the Onion.

[Restorer]

Exactly how would the presence of a Secret Service man or a Navy crewman not in a pilot's seat provide increased safety for W?

[swheats]

Without a doubt.

This President has gotten all that he's accomplished by being daring and confident.

You either have to cower in the closet and hope everything works out or buckle up and go along for the ride.

I finally was able to breath easier after the plane touched down.

[swheats]

Not sure if I understand your question.

These are not your average men, I'm sure they are multi-taskers that can accomplish whatever is required. Whether flying a plane or whatever.

Bottomline, the mission was accomplished and it was handled masterfully.

[CyberAnt]

No! The SS was doing their job - protecting the President. An F-18 is a very volatile airplane - very dangerous. Although I'm quite sure it is a dream of the President's, it'll have to wait.

[lawgirl]

Yeah I'd rather saddle up a Clydesdale than an Arabian stallion for our President anyday. :D

[RasterMaster]

Now that's an aircraft for keeping memorialized as Navy One in the Smithsonian.....wonder what it would cost to replace it in service.

[CyberAnt]

"Yeah I'd rather saddle up a Clydesdale than an Arabian stallion for our President anyday"

I agree - I'm sure he'd rather have the Arabian stallion, but the Clydesdale would provide the opportunity to spend more time with HIM!! I do believe that would be preferable.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

He will be the third modern president to spend a night on a Navy vessel.

Didn't FDR meet Churchill somewhere during WWI with both showing up in battleships? Or doesn't this count because FDR is ancient history now?

[dixiechick2000]

They should at least mount the hook on a plaque for W. It would look great in his library.

Who knows? Maybe they will.