# Cessna scare - was Bush kept out of the loop (again)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 17, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171 "2005-05-17T00:55:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/1 "2005-05-17T00:55:38Z")
In an effort to hork off [**Priceguy**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=316833) a bit more, 😉 I’ll toss out the following softball. [From a blog on DailyKos:](http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/13/143032/127) > [@](#): > > So let’s review. Washington’s airspace was being invaded. Jets were being scrambled and defense grid was lit up. Laura and Nancy were rushed to the WH Bunker and, Dick Cheney split town in a motorcade that looked like it was headed to the Baghdad airport. and the city was placed in Full OMFG mode. > > While all this is going on GW is less than five minutes away even by _bike_ from the absolute Nerve center of America’s entire secure communications and electronic intelligence network. _And nobody even bothers to tell him what’s going on._ > > There’s really no reasonable explanation for this except that his handlers made a deliberate decision to keep him away from the reins of power while the grown-ups handled the crisis. While this is certainly not a scandal on the level of Bush’s “My Pet Goat” freeze on 9/11/2001, it does raise an interesting point – why _was_ Bush kept out of the loop last week, left to ride his bike in bilssful ignorance, while everyone else was scrambling to safety and folks were sweating over whether or not to shoot down the Cessna? For all anyone knew, it could have been the first strike in the next 9/11… Thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/2 "2005-05-17T01:24:24Z")
As little use as I have for Bush, delgation is appropriate here. Surely this could be handled by a general. If it was a commercial airliner, sure he should have been in the loop. But not for some steeeenking Cessna. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/3 "2005-05-17T01:26:13Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > In an effort to hork off [**Priceguy**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=316833) a bit more > > Thoughts? I think that starting a thread in order to “hork off” someone is a pretty stupid thing to do. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/4 "2005-05-17T02:27:53Z")
Well, at least he cited a blog that cited an article that was so light of facts I wasn’t able to determine anything from it other than the fact that the article’s author doesn’t like G.W. Bush. :rolleyes: But hey, it slams Bush, so it _must_ be right. Right? > [@John Mace](#): > > I think that starting a thread in order to “hork off” someone is a pretty stupid thing to do. I think it falls into the category of “being a jerk.” ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/5 "2005-05-17T05:38:30Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > I think that starting a thread in order to “hork off” someone is a pretty stupid thing to do. I’ll explain the concept of a “humorous introduction” to ya sometime next week, **John.** 🙂 > [@ExTank](#): > > Well, at least he cited a blog that cited an article that was so light of facts I wasn’t able to determine anything from it other than the fact that the article’s author doesn’t like G.W. Bush. You mean aside from the articles in the _Washington Post,_ and Scott McClellan’s transcript, and the maps and satellite photos of the area, eh? I thought the OP was rather straightforward, but I’ll restate it again for clarity: given that the President of the United States appeared to have been _left in the dark_ and _not evacuated to safety_ during the height of last week’s potential terrorist menace, is this a sign confirming that George W. Bush is little more than a jovial figurehead, useful for giving aw-shucks soundbites to the media but not trusted by his own administration to make decisions of life-and-death importance? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/6 "2005-05-17T16:30:00Z")
> [@rjung](#): > > given that the President of the United States appeared to have been _left in the dark_ and _not evacuated to safety_ during the height of last week’s potential terrorist menace, is this a sign confirming that George W. Bush is little more than a jovial figurehead, useful for giving aw-shucks soundbites to the media but not trusted by his own administration to make decisions of life-and-death importance? No. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/7 "2005-05-17T16:31:41Z")
Assuming he is a figurehead, wouldn’t it be blatantly stupid for his handlers to snub him in such a public and obvious way such that it becomes much harder to maintain the illusion? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/8 "2005-05-17T16:37:37Z")
Well, they sent _Laura_ to a bunker. Is she more important than W. by any stretch of imagination? Sounds more like a logistics fuckup than anything. (Not that I don’t think most policy comes from Bush’s advisors, and not Bush himself. But that’s beside the point about this incident) ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/9 "2005-05-17T16:38:28Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > I think it falls into the category of “being a jerk.” It certainly falls into the category of “being an annoying bore” - but honestly, he would be posting irrelevant jabs at Bush whether **Priceguy** was here or not. I can’t see his little jab as a violation of the rules. Just his typical bitterness at those who disagree with him. Incidentally, I for one would prefer the president concentrate on bigger issues than a Cessna traveling out of bounds. Well, for any other president, anyway. In this case, I suppose I’d like to see him occupied with some cartoons and a nice juice box. Either way, though, I don’t see why **rjung** ’s complaining about this. > [@rjung](#): > > I’ll explain the concept of a “humorous introduction” to ya sometime next week, John. He’s doing it again. Hint to **rjung** : the smiley fools no one. We can tell when you’re pissed. > [@rjung](#): > > given that the President of the United States appeared to have been left in the dark and not evacuated to safety during the height of last week’s potential terrorist menace, is this a sign confirming that George W. Bush is little more than a jovial figurehead, useful for giving aw-shucks soundbites to the media but not trusted by his own administration to make decisions of life-and-death importance? To reiterate my earlier point, I think it’s because they decided it wasn’t a likely danger. I doubt the party’s going to risk Bush’s life, whether he’s a figurehead or not. Number one, a black eye for national security would be a major blow to the Republicans, given their claims of devotion to it. And number two, he may be a figurehead but he’s inspired a (rather incomprehensible) devotion in a lot of people, including non-Republicans. I doubt Cheney’s smiling face would make a good banner for the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/10 "2005-05-17T16:49:08Z")
All the people evacuated were in buildings that were potential targets. The president was distant from the “targets” (and even had the plane been carrying nerve gas, the president was in a park upwind of the targets). It does not take (and should not take) an Executive Order to evacuate potential targets in a tactical situation. That is not the president’s job and he should not be making those calls. That said: ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cessna-scare-was-bush-kept-out-of-the-loop-again/304171/11 "2005-05-17T16:53:04Z")
. . . posting inflammatory threads that call out other posters by name in a manner that reflects directly on an antagonistic exchange you are carrying on in the **Pit** is simply not a wise idea. Yeah, I saw the smiley. I found it unpersuasive. I am not ordering you to abandon your ongoing challenges to President Bush, but this thread is closed. [/Moderator Mode]