Posted on 11/10/2018 8:19:06 PM PST by Simon Green
The White House and President Trump took some heat on Saturday after it was announced that he would not make a previously scheduled visit to a cemetery in France for Americans killed in World War I due to inclement weather.
Trump arrived in France on Friday to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, along with first lady Melania Trump. They'd planned to visit Ainse-Marne American Cemetery in Belleau, France. The president was expected to lay a wreath and observe a moment of silence.
The first couple was supposed to travel to the site via helicopter, according to The Hill. But the White House released a statement, saying the visit had been called off.
The President and First Ladys trip to Ainse-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial has been canceled due to scheduling and logistical difficulties caused by the weather, the statement said. An American delegation led by Chief of Staff General John Kelly and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joe Dunford will attend on their behalf.
The decision drew negative reactions from two officials who served in previous administrations.
David Frum, a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush, took to Twitter to slam the move, insisting that other transportation accommodations couldve been made in case of poor weather.
It's not even 60 miles from central Paris to the monument. If the weather is too wet & windy for helicopters, a presidential motorcade could drive the distance in an hour, Frum tweeted. On site, presidential advance could easily erect a tent to protect the dignitaries (and the the presidential hair-do) from inclement weather.
A later tweet said, Two words: contingency plans. Previous White Houses made them.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Yup.
Why should we commemorate the beginning of a 21 year truce of a World War that only ended in 1991?
My thoughts too
We were in France ten, maybe fifteen years ago. Driving from lisieux (Normandy) to Paris. Had a real fleamarket trip planned. The euros take pleasure in getting rid of items they find in their dying an dead elders’ homes that hold God, Angels, Jesus in reverence.
Great finds
We pulled in to St Owen fleamarket. The place looked like the gold market in Riyadh. But crowded
Quick change in plans. No flea market. I was willing, the guy with us with Intel shook his head and (he was the driver) took off
No. Very sudden and determined.
Ok. Safety first.
David Frum is an embarrassmwnt to all Canadians, though not as embarrassing as Turd-owe.
Really? They’re upset about this?
especially in a very small country with numerous Moose reservation no-go areas.
I think the WH should leak out that Trump wakes in the morning, urinates, passes gas, then showers, before he dresses for the day. This has to infuriate them. They didnt mention he brushed his teeth or combed his hair. THE man is an animal
Imagine the fun. I always brush and comb.
What a sad world we live in.
I like tooth paste.
It appears that Trump’s critics have forgotten how many unvetted Muzzies now live in France that would dearly love to take Trump out. And given their success rate in France I doubt that the Secret Service would allow an impromptu motorcade without proper pre-planning and adequate resources.
Trump is an animal! He dont use toothpaste /s.
Hell, Im retired I could write for some left ring rag. Trump needs to come home and kick some DOJ azz and start getting our elections right before some of us put it right.
Just one other thing...Omoeba is Muslim, right?
A rose by any other name.
You say paatato, I say potato
Taamato, tomato
We are not French. The French are becoming muzzie. Would you like to know what the muzzies did to the tombs in North Africa? It’s just a matter of time.
..... My guess is .... Plausible Threats against the President and weather given as an excuse.
I was actually in Paris last summer. We were at the circle (etoile) that faces the Eiffel Tower, where lots of tour buses stop and steps away from the plaza that’s between 2 museums. It’s a very crowded plaza and 1000’s of people are there taking photos you can see the full tower and all the left bank from the vista. Also scores of people selling trinkets, hats, t-shits, and slingshot helicopter toys. (I actually bought a pretty cool laser pointer for 10 euros, it was the coolest thing there - not French per se but what the heck).
Anyway, we sat on a bench behind a couple of older ladies speaking a language we did not recognize - eastern European probably. A few minutes pass and the two ladies left. When we got up and turned around we saw that one of ladies left their purse. We were 99%+ sure it was innocent but being Paris and touristy location the Mrs and I decided not to stay too close. We didn’t touch the purse but, keeping an eye on it, we went to several of the buses to ask the drivers and tour guides to announce if anyone lost their purse. Nobody responded.
There was a man who appeared from around the bend and he saw the purse, stopped in his tracks smoking a cigarette and kept eyeing the purse. We knew he was going to steal it and we stood back and watched. He kept walking closer and closer, pretending to be nonchalant about it. The missus and I watched him and quietly joked how long it would take for him to grab it, what he would do etc. We were probably even a little too irrational - it was just someone’s purse. But better safe than sorry. We weren’t going to confront him and there wasn’t a cop to be seen anywhere. We did our best to locate the owner but simply did not want to touch it so we stood away watching.
Finally the guy casually inched towards it, then pretended as if he just found it, even making a phony “surprise and concerned” facial expression. He quickly picked it up but he didn’t say “hey did someone lose a purse”, he announced loudly (in French) “I’m going to find the police” but rather than walk towards the crowds where you might expect to find a cop, he walked quickly away up one of the streets away from the etoile. He even stopped and pretended to speak to a taxi driver parked about 20 yards up the road, I guess in case he thought he was being filmed. From there he ran out of sight holding the purse like a football.
Our friends met up with us a couple minutes later and as we were recounting the story with them the guy reappeared and put the purse back where he found it.
We assume it was missing all its cash, credit cards, IDs and if it had a passport that could be worth thousands of dollars in the black market. Under the circumstances we felt we did what we could.
Not a cop to be seen anywhere around there the whole time which is surprising because it is such an obvious location for thieves, pickpockets, or worse. But it’s also very crowded with cafes, tour buses. We assumed the whole place was wired with CCTV cameras but still... doubt they would be used for something as mundane as common theft.
Let’s commemorate the end of WWI with a hastily arranged motorcade along a predictable route - no one, ever.
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