As you know, yesterday’s stunt in New York City in which the Air Force One backup plane was flying low as part of an ill-considered photo op created a short panic in the area, resulting in the evacuation of several buildings. If this had happened during the Bush administration, one could have expected universal mockery and condemnation of yet another act of incompetence. Yet this is how the NY Times excuses President Obama:
When President Obama learned of the episode on Monday afternoon, aides said, he, too, was furious. Senior administration officials conveyed the president’s anger in a meeting with Mr. Caldera on Monday afternoon.
In other words, somehow, in the midst of a completely bungled situation, Obama manages to emerge from the Times account as a take charge leader. How many people think that Bush would have gotten off so easy?
You can get a sense of how low the airplane was flying here:
