Bush not told about plane scare until after biking

asia.news.yahoo ^ | Thursday May 12, 8:24 AM | Reuters

[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.

[Tulsa Ramjet]

"In less than a couple of hrs. Congress was back on the floor doing business."

If everything could be so easy post 9/11.
Domestic economics,..sure.
Domestic terrorism,...don't think so.

[MJY1288]

That was then, this is now. The Jets were scrambled in time and no amount of alarming the POTUS would have made a bit of difference. I suggest you loosen up your Barbara Boxer thong and quit the Monday morning quarterbacking.

As far as the "psychophant" comment, I suggest you take a good hard look in the mirror and quit acting like a typical liberal alarmist

[CindyDawg]

I'm glad Dubya has a well trained team but in a crisis I want the man that I voted for twice at the helm, supervising as he was in 911. I can understand that during the first 15 minutes or so getting people to safety and stopping the plane a priority but he should have been notified ASAP IMO.

[West Coast Conservative]

They raised the threat level to RED. They should have told the President immediately.

[MJY1288]

I think you're mistaken.... I don't think it ever reached "RED"

[steve86]

She was in no danger. There is a safe area under the White House where she and others went.

What a doofus statement. Like no amount of energy in any weapons systems deliverable by air can touch the "safe" area under the White House.

Ask the Secret Service if The President is in "no danger" when he is in the bunker. Of course he is. Just somewhat less than when above ground.

[SoCalPol]

My several relatives who have served 1 and 2 tours in Iraq
and more going back all voted for Bush and would vote
again for him.

[MJY1288]

I stand corrected, I just read where it was at "Red" for 8 minutes :-)

[SoCalPol]

I think you are the one without a clue.
All the third party and DU folks posting on FR
need to get a life.

[Tulsa Ramjet]

Tell "MJY1288".

The small plane was three minutes away. But PLANNING was supposed to take care of this.

It just goes to show you we still have security issues. Nothing wrong with acknowledging it. Just adjust things, and move forward.

But please don't try and justify not telling the President of the united states that an unidentified plane has violated White House protected air space, and is three minutes away, one hour after it happened.

Don't really understand the Barbara Boxer inference.
As for a being a liberal alarmist. Don't think so. But I bet "MJY1288" thinks all things are under control in the southern border with Mexico. INS: "Staffers and teams are in place. Every thing is in order. Only 10 thousand a day are passing undetected. No need to let the President know."

(ha ha. hooo boy.) give me a break.

[MJY1288]

But despite the "Red" threat level for 8 minutes, there are plans for these situations that automatically go into effect when a plane enters restricted airspace. Radar picked up the aircraft immediately and it was identified immediately as a Cessna 150 at 11:59 AM, by 12:04 the F-16's were on top of the tiny plane and by 12:15 the whole thing was over as far as the security threat was concerned. To fault the Secret Service for not knocking Dubya off his Mountain Bike immediately and informed him of the possible situation, is a bit over reaction in my humble opinion

[Tulsa Ramjet]

"My several relatives who have served 1 and 2 tours in Iraq
and more going back all voted for Bush and would vote
again for him"

We should have took care of Saddam the first Gulf War when my ship was floating off the coast of Saudi Arabia. But we wanted to keep good faith with the UN and all of our great so-called buddies that just so happened didn't stand with us the next time around.

[SoCalPol]

I am 15 miles north from the largest border crossing
in the world. I have seen what has happened mainly
the 8 yrs Clinton was prez. To bad you folks didn't
say something then.

[MJY1288]

OK Newbie, I agree, The Presidents security team failed the Nation......Now go back to DU and tell them how you convinced every FReeper that Dubya is a slacker and his administration failed all of us today when 20,000 people were evacuated form the Capitol, and Fighter Jets intercepted the Cessna 150 before it could destroy the entire planet....

Good Luck, but I'm not buying your hysteria

[SoCalPol]

We should have took care of Saddam the first Gulf War

We went in under certain UN regs. and we could only
go so far. To bad when we were getting banged around
from the WTC to the Cole Clinton had 8 yrs to do something.
Instead he sat on his a--
George W had to pick up the pieces left from Clinton.

[Tulsa Ramjet]

"there are plans for these situations that automatically go into effect".

Sure there are. Without knowing exactly what happened, at a minimum I would expect the following:

STAFFER: "Mr. President, small plane has crossed over the White House restricted airspace. We have scrambled jets to intercept. Congress and the White House is in the process of being evacuated, and the First Lady and the VP have been moved to a protected location. JCS is on top of it and we have elevated the threat level to red.
DUBYA: "Alrighty. Sounds like things are under control. Keep me posted if it turns for the worse while I finish this lap."
STAFFER: "Yes sir. I have a communications officer that will be riding with you."
DUBYA: "Sounds good."

[MJY1288]

BTW NEWBIE, If you're gonna use my comment in a response you post, have the common coutesy of including me to the ping list

[Tulsa Ramjet]

"Now go back to DU and tell them how you convinced every FReeper that Dubya is a slacker."

Never have checked out "DU" so that note is irrelevant.

This has nothing to do with the President "slacking". It is a point of his staff providing him with pertinent information so HE can discern relevance in the context of the event.

[MJY1288]

You should quit your day job and become a "Hostile Threat" advisor. God only knows we need more of them

[Tulsa Ramjet]

"BTW NEWBIE, If you're gonna use my comment in a response you post, have the common coutesy of including me to the ping list."

My bad.