Posted on 05/11/2005 8:56:13 PM PDT by Tulsa Ramjet
Bush not told about plane scare until after biking
Photo: Reuters Click to enlarge
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush was not told for nearly an hour while he finished a bike ride about a breach in White House airspace on Wednesday that prompted the highest alert since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the White House said. The White House said the Secret Service held off informing the president because he was not in danger.
Bush was about a half-an-hour into his ride at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Maryland when an unidentified Cessna airplane came near the White House, sending the Secret Service scrambling to evacuate Vice President Dick Cheney and move First Lady Laura Bush to a secure location.
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said the president's Secret Service detail was informed about the plane at about 11:59 a.m., when the decision was made to raise the threat level at the White House to "yellow."
Fighter planes were immediately scrambled to intercept the plane, and the threat level at the White House was raised all the way to "red" before the "all clear" was given at 12:14 p.m.
McClellan said Bush was informed about the incident around 12:50 p.m. at the end of his ride. He left the reserve around 12:57 p.m. and returned to the White House at around 1:30 p.m., well after the security scare had ended. ADVERTISEMENT
"A determination was made that the threat posed no danger to the president since he was at an off-site location, and protocols were in place to protect people in the area of the threat," McClellan said. "Those protocols did not require any presidential authority."
"Given such circumstances and the fact that the plane turned away from the White House, the decision was made to inform the president upon conclusion of his bike ride," McClellan said.
Bush had left the White House at about 11:03 a.m. and had arrived at Patuxent for the bike ride at 11:34 a.m.
I am a conservative - I value work - why is my President biking in the afternoon on a Wed.?
"why is my President biking in the afternoon on a Wed.?"
Trying to promote a good example to America to help keep health costs down. Working out during lunch time is a frequent occurence in the workplace. Because of problems with his knees, Bush switched to a mountain bike for his workouts.
What do conservatives do in Scotland? Throw down a coupla' pints and sing songs of past glory "ala McCourt"?
Thanks marblehead.
Your welcome. Thanks for pointing this out to me. BTW, I like your tagline.
:-)
This is exactly how its supposed to work. He hires people in the administration to do a job and then lets them do it. The president of the country does not need to get involved every time a cessna strays offcourse anymore than a CEO has to get involved every time a worker gets caught stealing office supplies.
Those involved had the authority to do what needed to be done and did so.
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