Mr. President, a few days ago It was suggested that someone needed to be fired for the Scare Force One NYC flyover.
When I read that, I had earnestly hoped that YOU would take responsibility for yet another domestic debacle, and that YOU would resign, sparing us the continued agony of your tenure as President.
Sadly, it was not to be. However, the sacrifice of former Secretary of the Army (Under Clinton) Louis Caldera, one in a series of your clueless appointments, certainly doesn't clear you of responsibility for your stupidity.
You screwed up by politicizing the White House Military Office; you screwed up by putting Caldera in charge of it, instead of a military Flag Officer, and then YOU allowed the people of downtown New York to be terrified as YOU wasted over $300,000 for a picture that will forever shame you; a picture that COULD have been photo shopped for a buck.
Mr. President, your unforced errors are continuing to frighten those of us who actually pay attention to what you do instead of how you look. PLEASE get someone in there with at least a modicum of competence before someone who can REALLY hurt this Nation gives it a shot.
Last Update: 04:55 PM EDT
WHITE HOUSE AIDE RESIGNS OVER FLYOVER FLAP
PHOTOS OF INCIDENT RELEASED
May 8, 2009
Posted: 3:54 pm
May 8, 2009
WASHINGTON -- A top White House aide resigned today for his role in Air Force One's $328,835 photo-op flyover above New York City that sparked panic and flashbacks to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. His resignation was made public at the same time the photo of the flyover was released by the White House.
Louis Caldera said the controversy had made it impossible for him to effectively lead the White House Military Office. "Moreover, it has become a distraction in the important work you are doing as president," Caldera said in his resignation letter to President Barack Obama.
The sight of the huge passenger jet and an F-16 fighter plane flying past the Statue of Liberty and the lower Manhattan financial district sent panicked office workers streaming into the streets on April 27. Obama said it would not happen again.
Caldera's office approved the photo-op, which cost $35,000 in fuel alone for the plane and two jet fighter escorts. The Air Force estimated the photo shoot cost taxpayers $328,835.
White House officials said the flight was designed to update the official photo of the plane, known as Air Force One when the president is aboard. The White House released a photo of the blue-and-white plane high above the Statue of Liberty, with New Jersey in the background.
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