May 06, 2003
The Prez Goes Flying
In today's New York Times, Paul Krugman attacks George Bush for breaking an 'important tradition' by wearing 'military garb' (i.e. a flight suit). Even Instapundit seems to think there is something wrong with this.
But here's the thing: If you want to fly onto an aircraft carrier in a jet, you wear a flight suit. This is not 'military garb' as much as it is 'jet flying garb'. When civilians fly in military jets, they put on the flight suit. When civilians buy and fly their own ex-military jets, they wear flight suits.
There are many reasons for the flight suit, all of them having to do with safety and efficiency in flying the airplane, and in surviving if you have to ditch or eject. Given that Bush was going to fly out to the carrier, the flight suit was a must. And notice that Bush did not address the crew or the country in a uniform - as soon as he was done with the welcoming party, he put on a civilian suit. If he had made that speech in his flight suit, or in a leather G1 jacket (as Clinton did), then perhaps the charge would have had more meaning.
So why the flight in the first place? I'm sure part of it was photo-op (and a grand photo-op it was!). And I'm sure part of it was just Bush the ex-fighter pilot wanting to do something really fun. But also, it has meaning. A carrier landing is no picnic. It is essentially a controlled crash. When Wolf Blitzer did the same thing, he became violently ill. George Bush puking all over the flight deck would have wrecked the whole photo-op thing, don't you think?
So why do it? Because it shows courage, and it shows that the Commander In Chief is willing to put himself at risk of injury, death, or embarassment to come to where the troops are, rather than making them come to him. That means something to those sailors. It means something that he put his trust in the hands of the pilot and crew and did one of the most dangerous things you can do in non-combat flying. It means something that he stayed the night, rather than flying back off the carrier in an hour.
Some people 'get' this, and some don't. To politicians steeped in schmoozing and sound bite tactics, it probably seemed like nothing more than a photo-op. But to the sailors who had been at sea for ten months, to have a president come aboard their ship to say thank you was a momentous event. It's something all of them will remember for the rest of their days. The media may not understand what George Bush did, but the men and women of the U.S. military sure did. Especially the crew of the Abraham Lincoln.
On a practical note, one of the jobs of the President is to make sure that the military is effective and efficient. One way to do that is to throw huge stacks of money at it. But another way it to do the little things that let your military know it is valued and respected. That is a greater motivator than money. From that perspective, George Bush's "stunt" was worth billions.
And, I'll bet it was a hoot.
Posted by Dan at May 6, 2003 04:58 PM
I don't know--where I come from, speaking from a flight deck is nothing to be writing home about, unless, of course, you're out of cigarettes, or need quarters for the phone...
I enjoy your blog very much! I hope you never stop! Thx! *~{;-)
You nailed it! Absolutely nothing wrong with what President Bush did. You're also right on target as to the meaning of the visit to the military. Having watched the "loather in chief" far too many times wearing the G1 jacket and other military-related clothing, I can't believe these media idiots can criticize the wearing of a mandatory flight suit. Hard to believe Instapundit thought there was something to the criticism...he's usually smarter than that.
You have the best take on this I have read so far. What the hell did the complainers want Bush to wear -- a tuxedo? And I don't remember any complaints that Clinton was going all Mussolini on us because he wore a bomber jacket.
Hear, hear!
Thank you for a most excellent dismissal of the carping.
I hope President Bush had a grand time - it looks as though he did and I heartily suspect that that is the reason for the whining.
right on...much ado about nothing...Bush sent these men to war, and to take risks to recognize this symbolically is outstanding.
You've expressed my thoughts exactly. As a former Air Force aircrew member, President Bush's visit to the Lincoln made me even prouder of him than I had been before.
Another thing that must have gotten under his critics skin was the obviously easy and comfortable manner in which he got off the transport and started greeting people. He looked and acted like a fighter pilot (which, of course, he once was). Remember, it was a less than perfect landing, with the pilot snagging the 4 wire instead of the prefered 3 wire. The landing wasn't gentle and the view of the rapidly disappearing deck of the carrier out of the cockpit windshield had to have been at least unnerving. Could you imagine our previous president looking even remotely as good under those same circumstances. I can't.
I was especially impressed with the efforts President Bush took to reach deep into the crowd of enlisted troops to let as many of them shake his hand as he could. It was important to them and he didn't shortchange them as he so easily could have.
It also should be remembered that Bush ate on the Mess decks and not in the wardroom. Meaning he ate with the enlisted folks, and got to chat and shake hands and pose for pics with them, thank them personally.
The problem with the punditry is they thought the President was speaking to them, or "to the American People" He wasn't. He was saying thanks to the officers and crews, the soldiers, sailors, airman and Marines. (He was also sending a message to the mad mullahs in Iran, and Assad Jr. in Syria too )
This staged landing on the Lincoln was such an obvious and shameful exploitation of the war that it is hard to believe that Rove even had the balls to follow through on it. Anyone who is impressed by Bush pretending to be a fighter pilot in light of the fact that when he was actually supposed to be serving as one in the National Guard he went AWOL for a year is a fool.
Maybe for his next re-election campaign photo-op, Rove can dress him up in a Green Bay Packer uniform and send him out onto Lambeau Field at halftime and he can run around a little and maybe catch a pass or two. Then all the Republicans can talk about how athletic our President is and how proud they are to be Americans. And then, after that, maybe we can dress him up like a SWAT team member and have him participate in phony drug raid or dress him up like a firefighter and start a trash can on fire and let little Georgie rush to put it out all by himself.
I guess I should not be surprised that people bought this crass little stunt; Bush has been fooling people for years by pretending to be things he's not - like sober, smart, business savvy or the popularly elected leader of this country.
Jealousy is an ugly thing! haha
Actually, "Al", your E-mail address should be "www.not_in_the_whitehouse.gov"
First, we all know George W. didn't get the majority of the popular vote and he won. Neither did Bill Clinton, both times that he won, and we didn't hear half the pissing and moaning we do now. There have been 15 presidents that won the election with less than the majority of the popular vote. So let it go already.
Second, seeing my president risk his life by flying a jet to a carrier was the most impressive thing that I've seen any president do in a long time. Yeah, sorry, Willy playing his sax wasn't half as cool. I hope the prez got a huge kick out of it, even if it was just a photo op, who cares?!
The carrier landing was the governmental equivalent to 75 American flags flying at Honest Eddie's Used Cars with a huge banner that says, "We'll Finance Anyone!"
In this case, the dented orange and white AMC Pacer is the US economy and the Corvette with a hole in convertible cover is the Iraq reconstruction without UN help.
Letting the guys come home a day earlier would be the Right thing to do.
Oh, there is one important difference. If the salesman don't cheer the manager, they won't be court-martialled.
Actually, muse, yes, we did hear as much carping about Clinton as we did about Bush. Surely I'm not the only one who remembers Freeper types with "X days until the end of the RAW DEAL" countdowns in their .sigs.
And no, sorry, this was a photo op. Of course it was a fine thing that the President came to thank the troops personally, and that he ate in the mess hall. Kudos for that. But as a 'fighter pilot'? Sorry, but George Sr. was the war hero. His son was one of the privileged Ivy League boys who got to sit out the war.
Well, no. George Bush Junior logged some 3500 hours flying an F-102 jet fighter. That's a LOT of fighter time. He probably has more jet stick time than the guy who flew him out to the carrier. And, the unit he signed up with in the Guard was on the active rotation list for Vietnam at the time he signed up.
And ask anyone who's flown one of those old 'Century Series' fighters if it was dangerous duty or not. Two members of Bush's squadron were killed in accidents. He was at more risk flying F-102's at home than Al Gore ever was as a journalist in Vietnam. FAR more risk. In fact, he had a better chance of killing himself in 3500 hours' flying an F-102 than the average draftee going to Vietnam was in a 2-year TDY. 60's era fighter jets killed a lot of pilots.
OK, assuming that the flight suit is required, is the "sock" in the crotch portion just window dressing???
Haw Haw! Great Parody! Too funny!
George Bush got around 350 hours not 3500 hours. It takes the average military pilot ten years to get 3500 hours. Bush flew mainly in flight school. He is a right wing coward, who failed to "walk the walk".
Get the details correct.
Given the gutless wonder's military record,
a "flight suit" was perfect for him. "fight or
flight?" You know which one he chose. At
the time, you joined the National Guard to avoid
Viet Nam. That is why the NG's were called "No
Guts" As for the sock, of course he needs it,
as he does'nt have set of balls of his own.
