Posted on 06/14/2006 6:44:03 PM PDT by Aussie Dasher
"The POTUS is on board!" yelled a man of nearly 60 wearing a Navy baseball cap, dark pants and no tie, who had just climbed the drop-down backstairs of Air Force One in the dark and slipped into the rearmost cabin, crammed full with reporters and photographers.
It was, in fact, not just the customary announcement made when the president of the United States (POTUS) boards his plane. This was, in fact, the POTUS himself, minutes before Monday night's secret trip to Baghdad, one so elaborately planned that it included the president lying to his closest aides and the White House duping reporters.
At 7:45 p.m. Monday, Mr. Bush, nearing the end of the first of two days of meetings on Iraq at Camp David, sought his leave from his top military and intelligence advisers, including National Intelligence Director John D. Negroponte, CIA Director Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden and Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
"I'm losing altitude -- I'm going to read," Mr. Bush told the group, ostensibly heading to bed. But he did not. Instead, he slipped out of the fortified presidential retreat and into an unmarked helicopter, not his normal Marine One chopper, for a quick ride to Andrews Air Force Base and an 11-hour flight to Baghdad.
Vice President Dick Cheney was about the only one at the nighttime Camp David gathering who knew that the president was headed to Iraq.
"Our Cabinet is not completely aware," senior Bush aide Dan Bartlett later told reporters on Air Force One en route. "They all expected him to show up at breakfast with the ambassador of Iraq."
(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...
Yes, I do. :-)
Bush Lied and Reporters Cried?
I'm surprised the reporters didn't leak the story to the media.
Hell the MSM would have tried to shoot him down either here or there if they knew ahead of time they would like nothing better than to warn theyre allies al quada..
Bush lied and people flyed!!!
(Remember - its a Dem shouting it.)
I'm waiting for reporters to come out saying, "See! Bush can lie!!!"
This is the first time I've seen that President Bush said he was "going to read".
All other MSM reports stated that he was going to bed.
Ping
He LOVES a surprise. You can see it on his face in the picture of him greeting Al Maliki. He's like a kid!
The MSM thinks Bush is a dummy and can't read. Therefore, if he said anything about reading, they wouldn't report it.
I heard/read in numerous reports from a variety of media sources yesterday that the President told everyone he was "losing altitude" and was going to read before going to bed. You guys must have just missed it.
Yes, I do think he enjoyed the surprise. Love his smile.
Err.. What lie?
He said he was going to bed - he just didn't tell them it was on board a plane bound for Iraq. Check out what Bush says, there were no lies ...
And well he should, imho.
So he read and napped while in flight!
Works for me! ;^)
Note that the press isn't always honest about how they represent things.
He did take some press along. But they should have been left in AF1 upon Iraq arrival for lack of passports.
Just a little "gotcha".
LOL! Good point -- he slept on the plane and probably read as well! I love it when the press doesn't have a clue!
Compare again....Clinton's agenda was School Uniforms....Bush's agenda is bringing democracy to the Middle East!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.