by mappatazee » Thu Sep 01, 2005 3:14 am
Drudge Report
BUSH VIEWS DAMAGE FROM AIR FORCE ONE
Wed Aug 31 2005 16:36:21 ET
Aboard Air Force One
Before the news, a short programming note: POTUS will appear in the Rose Garden to make a statement at 5 p.m. following the hurricane meeting but does not plan to take questions.
Now the news: POTUS got an intense, personal view this morning of the extraordinary arc of devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina as Air Force One dipped out of the clouds and flew low over Gulf Coast states where whole neighborhoods and communities were wiped out and the city of New Orleans remained a virtual lake.
Air Force Col. Mark Tillman, the chief pilot of Air Force One, routed the Waco-to-Andrews flight along the southern edge of the United States to give POTUS a bird’s eye view but at points he and his crew brought the plane so low that it was barely above the skyscrapers of New Orleans. <b>POTUS moved over to the left side of the plane where his Secret Service detail normally sits and watched intently out the window during the 35-minute flyover. His tour took him over New Orleans and then along the coast over Slidell, Waveland, Pass Christian, Gulfport, Biloxi and Pascagoula, before the plane climbed back to normal altitude, veered north and headed toward Washington.
“It’s devastating,” POTUS said as he watched</b>, according to Scott McClellan. “It’s got to be doubly devastating on the ground.” McClellan said POTUS remained quiet through most of the flyover, pointing out various signs of destruction along with Karl Rove, J.D. Crouch and one of the pilots. “There wasn’t a whole lot of conversation going on,” McClellan said. “I think it’s very sobering to see from the air. And I think at some points you’re just kind of shaking your head in disbelief to see the destruction that has been done by the hurricane.”
Hahah.