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"Bush opposed this all along, and only signed it reluctantly."

Nonsense. The news media *claimed* that Bush was against *both* bills that armed pilots, yet President Bush proceeded to sign BOTH of those bills into law.

And while the press claimed that Bush was against it, the President himself *never* even once said that he was against either bill.

Moreover, President Bush FIRED the DoT senior employee who was holding up the first pro-gun-law from actually arming pilots, and Mineta suddenly "saw the light" after that.

Lets not fall for the liberal media's repeated tactic of claiming that Conservatives are divided, shall we!

I'm sensitive to the media distorting the facts, but Bush's opposition to arming pilots was widely reported. Example:

President asks for alternative to arming pilots

By William M. Welch and Laurence McQuillan, USA TODAY
09/27/2001
President Bush plans to announce today a series of security steps intended to restore public confidence in commercial air travel, including strengthening cockpit doors to thwart hijackers, White House and congressional officials said Wednesday. During a visit to Chicago's O'Hare airport, Bush also will call for increasing the number of armed air marshals to cover most domestic flights and increased federal control of airport security checks of baggage and passengers, they said. Bush will emphasize the need for federal guidelines for airport screening, but he will stop short of making the screeners federal employees, the officials said. He will call for government testing, supervision and monitoring.
[snip]
Bush indicated on Wednesday that he is cool to a controversial idea, proposed by the 67,000-member Air Line Pilots Association union, to allow cockpit crews to carry handguns. Asked whether he supports arming pilots, Bush said, "There may be better ways to do it than that, but I'm open for any suggestion."

Regardless, President Bush - as usual - adopted the big government solution when he had a perfect opportunity to do otherwise.