Reuters.....Bush's Iraq Trip...."Pilots Didn't Radio Air Force One"

[in_cog_ni_to]

Let's try this again.

Was Bush's Iraq Trip Fabricated?


Pilots Didn't Radio Air Force One, Airline Says

Reuters
Tuesday, December 2, 2003; Page A03


British Airways said yesterday that none of its pilots made contact with President Bush's plane during its secret flight to Baghdad on Thanksgiving, contradicting White House reports of a midair exchange that nearly prompted Bush to call off his trip. Honor Verrier, a spokeswoman for British Airways in North America, said two British Airways aircraft were in the area at the time and neither radioed the president's plane to ask if it was Air Force One.



"We have spoken to the British Airways captains who were in the area at the time and neither made comments to Air Force One nor did they hear any other aircraft make the statement over the radio," Verrier said.

The White House had no immediate comment on the discrepancy.

Bush aides recounted last week that a British Airways pilot thought he spotted the president's blue and white Boeing 747 from his cockpit.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A26718-2003Dec1.html



Smells funny to me!

[JailBush]

1. I'll bite...

How many people actually SAW George W. Bush in Baghdad? The photos of Bush in "Baghdad" could have been taken in someone's home near Crawford.

We know Bush was in London, because the Queen's gardens were trashed by Bush's traveling road show. But there's no hard evidence to pin him to Baghdad.

[Silverhair]

2. No evidence except...

Soldiers that have been interviewed and confirmed that he was there.
Soldiers that were known to be in Iraq and were seen on TV by relatives.
An entire battalion of 600 troops.

And the fact that flying to Bdad isn't that big a deal. What's so hard about it? It isn't a great achievement. He gets on a plane, sleeps while the pilots fly it over, the plane lands, he talks to some troops and is seen, then he gets back on the plane. My very aged mother who needs a cane to get around could do that. So what's the big deal?

Take off the tin foil hat. You are making the rest of us look silly.

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. Have you seen interviews with the families whose

relatives were with Bush? I haven't. Not one. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any interviews with soldiers who were with the shrub. Please, can you give me a link to an interview that was done with SOMEONE, anyone who was there (a soldier) OR saw a loved one on TV? Then I'll take off my tin foil hat.

I like my tin foil hat.....I'm having a bad hair day. :tinfoilhat:

[Silverhair]

9. A DUer posted that she recgonized her nephew.

I tried to find the post, but everytime I searched the search program would only look in the last 24 hours, and this post was on Friday.

[in_cog_ni_to]

11. Ok.

Thanks, Silverhair. That verifies it for me. I thought it was awfully strange that there wasn't a media frenzy hunting down relatives of soldiers who were with Bush on Thanksgiving Day. I haven't seen any such interviews.

Alright. :( I apologize for ever doubting the shrub. :puke:

Tin Foil Hat is now removed. :spank:

[Silverhair]

12. This one just wasn't worth doubting him over. It was too easy

to actually do it, and far far more difficult to fake it. Save the doubting for where it really matters. Now I would like to know more about that ambush with 54 dead Feyadeen. I have some doubts there. But I don't have enough good information to go on, so for now I am staying quiet on that topic.

[Tinoire]

13. Wndycty was the one who recognized her nephew

And a HANDSOME kid he is too! WOW. Makes you wonder what Wndycty looks like!

[Kurovski]

16. Chicago television covered a family whose son

was serving sweet pataters with George. local ABC, I think.

They were overjoyed to see him smiling on television. can you imagine that? It was terrific. But mom was pretty classy in signalling her disapproval that her son is there at all. Something like " All I'll say is i hope their all home soon."

[Generic Other]

3. You're right! Next we'll see pictures of him walking on the moon!

One small step for Bush, one giant step backwards for mankind!

[candy331]

4. Does anyone one know

whether any of those 600 soldiers have told relatives back here they saw the President in Iraq. Does anyone have any names of the soldiers that saw him there? I too am a little skeptical still.

[no_arbusto]

7. IIRC

On Thanksgiving a DUer posted that their nephew was one of the cooks in the background of a picture. I may be mistaken though.

[in_cog_ni_to]

8. No Kidding?!

I hope whoever it was sees this threadand posts to it. I would definitely apologize for ever doubting the administration. :)

[bicentennial_baby]

14. Here's a link to the thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=786067

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. Thanks, bicentennial_baby .

I never saw that thread.

[Silverhair]

10. Yes, I have run across a couple of new items where

a stateside family member is in some local news about their relative meeting Bush. Unfortunately, I read so much news that I can't remember where I saw them. Mostly I just noticed them and went on.

Why is it hard to believe that he went to Bdad. It isn't a difficult thing to do, nor was it really dangerous. He gets on a plane, sleeps, the plane gets there, he gets out, has his photo op, gets back on and rides to Crawford. What's the big deal?

[uncle ray]

17. when rpg's are a threat to aircraft...

it gets a little hard to believe.

i can buy that he flew halfway across the globe for this silliness, but the landing in bagdad sounds a little fishy when commercial aircraft etc. avoid the airport for their safety.

"something" about this is not as it seems, maybe he was on a different plane? but the stories just ain't right.

keep in mind the story today about the foiled ambush from the other day, that suggested that it is inside information that led to "insurgents" attacking the convoy carrying new iraqi money. suppose similar information had leaked that our fearless leader was to arrive in iraq? could "we" have prevented an attack aided by our new iraqi police? what kind of PR disaster would that be if * was taken out by insurgents because of his little photo op? it lends a little credibility to questioning the intelligence, or honesty of the admin. to fly into a war zone that is more hostile than it was even days ago, for pictures, and not shake hands with even ONE grateful iraqi?

[newyawker99]

18. Hi uncle ray!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Hieronymus]

6. The White House...

certainly opened themselves to criticism by embellishing the story. Uh, that would be lyng about it.:dunce: