heres a list of random things that im trying to understand about the tanksgiving trip to baghdad
(just random snippets - this is not an essay - something smells funny - but im prolly just going crazy. "mr ed" indicates editorial comment.)

"the press ? the White House press corps anyway, has now turned into?has turned to full time press agency for the President of the United States. The proper thing to do in this case is to refuse the secrecy agreement and say we're not going to be participants in a photo opportunity, which is merely done to help your re-election campaign, and if that aborts the trip, well, it aborts the trip.
one reporter was able to tell his editor, and that was Jim Engel, who did phone John Moody, Senior Vice President of Fox news channel, early in the afternoon to tell him he was headed to Baghdad.
more and more, I'm thinking that the proper response for Americans, for readers and viewers of the news, is to take?assume that the press is now part of the government."

"we were given the rules: No talking to the troops before the rally, no talking to the troops during the rally, no talking to the troops after the rally. that means that no conversation at all at least while on base with any soldiers, after all, who knows where that kind of thing could lead.

Immediately after the speech, president went upstairs for what was an emotional meeting with around 100 family members of the fallen soldiers. The meeting was, of course, closed to the press "

"But there is something that apparently makes the president nervous. Although the lack of access to the troops was explained as a logistics problem - too many media members needing escorts - it couldn't have been quite the problem, say, of embedding media in Iraq.
In fact, the last thing anyone heard as the president left the room was some in the audience chanting, "Four more years." And no one got to ask their names."

mred - another *possible* reason why the media werent allowed to interview the troops *may* have been that the mess-tent may have not have been in bagdad, the soldiers didnt necessarily know at the time that gwb was pretending to be in iraq, and the journos 'knew' that they were in iraq - after all, theyd been told that they were going to iraq, and presumably spent the appropriate amount of time in the air.
"The lights on the president's plane were off as it landed in darkness at about 5:30 p.m. local time Baghdad, to minimize chances of it being targeted."
i actually checked and sunset in baghdad was at 4.55pm that day. im not sure how quickly it gets dark, or whether a plane is visible in the sky 30 mins after 'sunset'

"En route to Iraq, the plane stopped at Andrews Air Force Base, in Maryland, outside Washington, to pick up a few aides and four reporters and a camera crew sworn to secrecy. Five photographers and another reporter accompanied him from Texas after being summoned just hours before his departure, according to the Associated Press. " http://www.usembassy.lt/pas/hyperfile/eur501.htm

mr ed: ok - so this part of the story is different to the officail white huose transcript - despite it coming courtesy of the US embassy in lithounia (dont ask why im reading that!). the official transcript says the plane originally took off with 13 journos from texas, and then picked up some more at Andrews, for a total of 13. ok - so that mite be an innocent mistake...

im also not sure why the usembassy in lithuania is quoting the AP for a description, rahter than taking the official whitehouse feed direct.

"Bush later meets with four Iraqi Governing Council members and with Sanchez. ""http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/11/27/sprj.irq.bush.tic.toc/"
mr ed: he doesnt meet with bremmer who is in the room as well?

" Bush met for about 30 minutes in a nearby building with four members of the Iraq Governing Council." http://www.usembassy-israel.org.il/publish/press/2003/november/112806.html
mr ed: these 4 people are never named/identified anywhere

"If this breaks while we're in the air we're turning around,"
mr ed: except a fox reporter told his editor and they didnt turn around

"Ambassador Bremer, thank you for your steadfast belief in freedom and peace."
actually bush does identify bremer. i was obviously wrong. and he also says "You are defeating the terrorists here in Iraq" according the official report - identifying his location to the troops. thank goodness ive been wrong about all of this from the start.

mr ed: "1st Armored Division and the 82nd Airborne" this stuff would be difficult to fake becuase it is so specific, and presumably these divisions actually exist, and are presumably in baghdad, and were actually having dinner at around 6pm. in the bob hope tent. although the bob hope thing sounds pure Karl.

"On the fast approach, Bush stepped into the cockpit and watched his pilot, Col. Mark Tillman, land the 747."
mr ed: this is the only time ive heard this part of the story.

"Not only did Bush shake hands with virtually every one of the 600 soldiers"
mr ed: ditto

"Bush arrived back in the U.S. about 12:30 a.m. Friday" " Air Force One touched down at Andrews Air Force base outside Washington just before midnight"
mr ed: one of these is inaccurate

"The trip was so guardedly choreographed that senior officials of the U.S.-led occupation authority said they had not detected intensified security, as they routinely have for less senior officials."

"It shows that he cares about us and is thinking about us. It's not easy being here," said 1st Armored Division Staff Sgt. Gerrie Stokes Holloman, 34, of Baltimore."
"I've never been so surprised. I had no idea ? not a clue," said Henderson, a 19-year-old from Inglewood"
mr ed: i didnt think the journos were allowed to speak to anyone?

"For the duration of the 10 1/2-hour flight from Washington to Baghdad, the whereabouts of the most powerful political leader on Earth was not publicly known."

"The White House went to the extraordinary lengths of publishing the president's Thanksgiving menu at his Texas ranch, as it would any other year. "
mr ed: um - why is that extraordinary then?

"President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, who were expecting to see their son at dinner, were not told until after he had left."

"Very few U.S. officials ? among them Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, U.S. Central Command Chief Gen. John Abizaid, top war zone commander Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez and Bremer ? knew about the president's arrival beforehand, Bartlett said."
"Sanchez said he was given just three days' notice."
mr ed: either sanchez was given 3 days notice, or he didnt know about the arrival beforehand. (both quotes are from the same article. the LATimes, no less)


"Occupation authority staff who rushed to perform heightened security duties had no idea for whom they were doing it, Sanchez said.'
" senior officials of the U.S.-led occupation authority said they had not detected intensified security, as they routinely have for less senior officials."
mr ed: only one of these statements is true. (both quotes are from the same article. the LATimes, no less)

"It looked like being another normal family Thanksgiving Day at US President George W Bush's ranch in Texas. George Bush senior and his wife Barbara arrived there unaware that their son was soon to make a momentous visit to Iraq."
mr ed: or is it more likely that gwb2 would tell dad to go to marvins or neils or jebs house instead?

"The president said he and Mr Card used code words when planning the trip, about which only a handful of aides knew in advance. "
mr ed: this is the only time i saw this bit abuot code words

"He boarded Air Force One at 2025 local time (0125 GMT) with a small number of press. "

"The group landed briefly at Andrews at around midnight to change planes and pick up some aides and press."

"While on the flight, the were asked to hand over their mobile phones, pagers, batteries and other electronic devices. "
mr ed: not before they were told the story when they were on the ground?

" the president went into the cockpit and watched Colonel Tillman bring the plane down. "
mr ed: ok - so heres this bit again. one wonders why it isnt in all the media reports. im surprised that rove would miss an opportunity to project 'gwb as pilot'

"Correspondents say the soldiers were genuinely surprised"
mr ed: no shit

"The story broke in the late morning on the east coast, just as Americans were preparing their Thanksgiving dinners. "

"The battle-worn troops of the 1st Armored Division and the 82nd Airborne, who had been told only that they would be treated to a VIP guest, cheered wildly when Bush bolted into the mess hall from behind a curtain."

mr ed: ok - were bremmer and sanchez a 'surprise'? or were they pre-announced? these 2 are 2 of the most powerful americans in iraq. if they were pre-announced, and there was also gonna be a 'surprise' guest, then doesnt that signal that someone bigger than bremer and sanchez was gonna be there? surely thats a security risk.


"Emerging unannounced from the side door of a military mess hall at Baghdad airport"
mr ed: i thought he was announced by bremer?

"Air Force One landed in Baghdad in darkness, apparently to reduce the risk of missile attack or ambush. "
mr ed: or maybe it landed at that time cos it was dinnertime?


"At the end of his speech he was congratulated by soldiers, members of Iraq's Governing Council and exchanged kisses with an Iraqi woman wearing a headscarf."
mr ed: kisses for everyone - including women who wear headscarfs. im not sure why she was there - did she have her mobile phone confiscated b4 hand?

"Aides said he made the decision to go five or six weeks ago and only informed the vice president, Dick Cheney, the White House chief of staff, Andrew Card, and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday."
mr ed: tell me this isnt a lie. it cant possibly be true

"When Mr Bush left Texas aboard Air Force One the cover story was that the plane was being taken to Washington for maintenance. Upon landing at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, the plane was rolled into a giant, heavily guarded hangar where an identical plane awaited. Mr Bush switched to the second jet for the Baghdad flight."
mr ed: ok - so the first plane was at andrews for maintenance, but an identical plane left immediately. thats some high productivity maintenance.

"Samantha Appleton, an American photographer in the aircraft hangar, said: "No one could quite believe what they were seeing. The soldiers had been pretty lethargic beforehand. By the end of the visit they were pretty emotional.""
mr ed: ok - so there was a photographer in the Andrews hangar when af1 was sposed to be in texas - she maybe should have been with her family for thanksgiving instead. unless she likes hanging out at hangars. in the dark too - at about 8.30pm on thnxgiving eve.
and do normal people say stuff like 'they were lethargic, and then emotional'? or is that the sort of thing u would say if u were making up the story?

"General Sanchez, thank you, sir, for your kind invitation and your strong leadership. Ambassador Bremer, thank you for your steadfast belief in freedom and peace."
mr ed: ok - so he mentions bremers name, but doesnt make a specific reference to him in the room.


" I bring greetings from America."
mr ed: dear klingons - i bring messages of peace from planet gargoyle

"But one thing is certain. Bush's Thanksgiving Day surprise ties him, for better or worse, ever more tightly to the outcome of the Iraq struggle."

"Bush, in his brief words to the soldiers, had little of the braggadocio from his May 1 speech and much of the grim determination from his bullhorn speech."

"There were no pithy slogans on banners behind him. "You're engaged in a difficult mission," he said, with a poor amplification quality that fit the improvised nature of the trip."
mr ed: bremer and sanchez dont deserve effective audio on thanksgiving? how hard can it be? from my understanding, the audaciously named 'bob hope tent' is kind of a permanent structure - why wouldnt u have effective audio so that the troops would be able to hear messages - not just for thanksgiving, but every day.

" In the audience, Staff Sgt. Gerrie Stokes Holloman of Baltimore said she feels "depressed" being in Iraq but buoyed by Bush's visit: "For the most part people are tired, and want to go home. But the support and encouragement we get from our leadership builds a bond with our soldiers."
Ret. Army Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a commander during the 1991 gulf war who maintains extensive ties to the Army, predicted the visit would boost soldiers' morale.
The visit "brought tears to my eyes," McCaffrey said. "This is the kind of thing that will have a major impact on their level of trust with their own commander in chief.""
mr ed: i thought there were no interviews?

geedub in the plane on the way home: "Thanksgiving has got to be hard for young troops, to know that their families are gathered, having dinner, a turkey feast and everything. That's got to be a lonely moment for them. And I felt like at this point that it would be -- hopefully it would help them to see their President, and I recognize that I didn't see every troop in harm's way scattered throughout the region, but the word will get out thanks to you all. "

"The idea first game up in mid-October. Andy said, would you be interested in going to Baghdad"
mr ed: didnt i read earlier that andy fouund out 3 days b4 when condi found out?

"And over time I was assured by the planners and, as importantly, our military people and the pilot here of this airplane that the risk could be minimized if we were able to keep the trip quiet."
mr ed: ok - so there were a bunch of people who knew in advance. but not rice, card or cheney

" I even went up to the cockpit and watched Tillman bring it in -- which, had the security been broken there would have been the time that we would have been most vulnerable. "

" However, the plane -- that's why Colonel Tillman's judgment was so important to this -- this plane is protected"
mr ed: would a pilot be the best person to judge military readiness and capability?

" It also -- we obviously flew in, in the dark, precautions were taken. "
mr ed: the sun set 30 mins earlier


"THE PRESIDENT: Yes, exactly. (Laughter.) We encountered some traffic. I-35, as you know, if you're a Texan -- well, you know. Anyway, Thanksgiving traffic, a lot of people heading up to Dallas, so we were about, I guess, 10 minutes late to the plane. But he kept moving; there were plenty of vehicles out there, there just were, there were people out there. "
mr ed: i wonder whether the planners would have considered that traffic mite be heavy for thanksgiving, and what sort of time adjustments they would have made.

"Bush touched down in Waco, Texas, around 3:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m. EST) Friday en route to his ranch in nearby Crawford. He had arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland several hours earlier. "

"The U.S. forces had been told that L. Paul Bremer, the U.S. civilian administrator in Iraq, and Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, commander of coalition forces, would be attending the dinner. "
mr ed: were they told there'd be a 'surprise guest' as well?

"• 7:27 p.m. CST Wednesday (8:27 p.m. EST): Air Force One is in the air. The trip is so secret that airport ground crew members think it is a maintenance flight and do not realize the president is aboard. Bush, wearing a work coat, baseball cap, jeans, boots and button-down shirt, had boarded at the back of the plane."
mr ed: ok - so this is a bit odd. at exactly 8.27pm EST, AF1 is in the air. if i was writing a timeline for a series of events, i dont think id use a specific time to refer to something nebulous like 'being in the air'. there's no actual event that corresponds to this 8.37pm. if i was writing a timeline about my day for example, i wouldnt say "3.06pm: i am at home" i mite say something like "i got home at 3.06", or "i had dinner at 3.06". all other times on the itenary are specific about take off and arrival times - but for some reason the takeoff time from waco isnt mentioned. actually, another article says "From waco, at 7:25 p.m. (8:25 p.m. EST), he took a flight to Andrews Air Force Base"

"• 9:15 p.m. EST: Reporters aboard the plane are given a card with the presidential seal on it: "November 26, 2003. Our destination is: Andrews AFB, MD. Expected arrival time is: 10:35 p.m. Time change on this leg: Lose one hour."

mred: i'd also generally think that if u quote an arrival time, especially when you are crossing timezones, that you'd specify which time zone the '10.35 pm' refers to. is it 10.35 local time? the "lose one hour" also doesnt sound like the sort of language that is normally used on an itenary - especially for people who presumably travel a lot for a living. maybe this is actually normal protocol that im not familiar with



""It gave us a little extra oomph," Spc. Talitha Williams, an Arkansas native assigned to the 1st Armored Division. "Maybe we can get through this." "It felt good," said Spc. Juan Deloera, also with the 1st Armored Division. "It really boosted my morale." "
mr ed: more interviews?

"The president also went behind closed doors for two separate meetings with U.S. commanders and four members of the Iraq Governing Council. After being on the ground 2.5 hours, the president left Baghdad around 8 p.m. (noon EST). "
mr ed: ok - so he was onground for about 150 mins. noon EST plus 10.5 hours = 10.30pm. but he seemed to land at andrews at about midnite. perhaps it was the wind.

"Bush touched down in Waco, Texas, around 3:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m. EST) Friday en route to his ranch in nearby Crawford. He had arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland several hours earlier. "

"At the president's ranch in Crawford, Texas, where reporters had been told Bush would be having Thanksgiving dinner, the reaction among the press corps was shock and awe. "
mr ed: *shock and awe* indeed

"Sanchez, the coalition commander, didn't learn of the trip until 72 hours beforehand. "
mr ed: thats the same time that condi and card apparently found out

"A couple weeks ago, he said he had mentioned to first lady Laura Bush while in Asia that he was considering a Baghdad trip, but it wasn't until Wednesday when he told her he was definitely going"
mr ed: actually it was 5 weeks ago - not a couple of weeks

"Ground crews at the airport were told Air Force One was taking a maintenance flight"
mr ed: i thought maintenance was generally performed on the ground.

"One soldier wrote to Stars and Stripes voicing displeasure that those under his command were told that during the president?s visit at the Baghdad International Airport for a quick meal and meet-and-greet, they weren?t allowed in."

"For six months, Army planners coordinated and prepped for the holiday, and picked the Bob Hope Dining Facility at the Baghdad International Airport because it would allow the maximum number of soldiers to participate, he said. Other locations could accommodate 100 soldiers at most."
mr ed: theres 100 thousand soldiers and the 2nd biggest dining room is only 100 people?

"?The hours for the dining facilities were published and publicized well prior to Thanksgiving,? Gercken said. ?In particular, the dining facility at the airport maintained the same hours it posted prior to the president?s visit. The meal for the president was an additional meal.?"
mr ed: protesteth too mucheth?

"At the airport, two facilities served main dinner meals from noon to 3 p.m. Hours were extended at the Hope facility until 4 p.m. and reopened at 8 p.m. for another serving, Olinger said, staying open for more than five more hours."
mr ed: i thought gwb arrived at 5.31pm and aws there for 2 huors?

"In Baghdad, soldiers celebrated Thanksgiving dinner at 32 locations throughout the city. Army cooks or Kellogg, Brown & Root employees prepared the meals and ?quality was the same throughout the division task force,? Olinger said."
mr ed: 100k troops in the country, and 32 locations provided thnxgiving dinner - with the 2nd largest holding 100 people. so at most 3300 soldiers out of 100k got thanksgving dinner - which means 95% of soldiers got nada. KBR of course is hellabortion.

"11:06 p.m. EST: Air Force One takes off from Andrews AFB
(9:31 a.m. EST): Air Force One touches down at Baghdad International Airport.
(noon EST): Air Force One leaves Baghdad."
mr ed: ok - so thats a 10.5 hour flite and 150 mins on the ground

"Reporters and photographers were ordered to surrender their cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices until the plane was airborne. "
mr ed: or until they left baghad? until they were airborne? or when they were airborne?

""I said it looks like we're on," Bush said. His daughters, Barbara and Jenna, were informed just an hour before he left."

"The risk also were reduced by landing at night reducing the threat from heat-seeking missiles"
mr ed: i reckon the atmosphere would be cooler at night, and therefore the threat of heat seeking missile would be higher at night. im sure the plane's engines dont cool at nite - therefore the difference betweeen the temp of plane and the atmosphere would actually make it easier for a heat seeking missile to hit a plane at nite? ergo the sentence doesnt make sense?

"Vice President Dick Cheney was told ahead of time. Only a handful of aides knew in advance; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was informed last week. Secretary of State Colin Powell also was in the loop. Rice informed her deputy, Stephen Hadley, on Wednesday. "
mr ed: didnt i see an ealrier report saying that powell cheney rice and card only learnt about it on wednesay. and wasnt hadley sposed to be one of the fall guys from the niger/sotu comment months and months ago?

"In all, the press contingent included five reporters, a television producer and two-member camera crew, and five still photographers. The president stopped at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington to change planes and pick up some aides."
mr ed: just some aides? or some journos as well?

"The reality did not sink in until the reporters were driven to the private airport the president uses in Waco, hustled aboard a darkened Air Force One and asked to relinquish their cellphone batteries. "
mr ed: i thought they gave up their phones in transit after Andrews?

"Reporters felt the plane land two hours later but were not allowed to look outside until the plane rolled to a stop inside a top-secret hangar at Andrews. "
mr ed- ok - so waco to andrews is a 2 hour flight. they "were not allowed to look outside." - would u normally describe this by saying "they werent allowed to open the windows so they couldnt be seen", rather than "not allowed to look outside"?

"The aircraft lifted off from Andrews at 11 p.m"
mred - est or cst?

"During the descent and landing, the most dangerous part of the journey, Bush decided to ride in the cockpit. "
mred - lets be clear, even if landing is the most dangerous time, its makes no difference to the risk profile if u are in the cockpit or not. u r really tuff gwb.

"After Sanchez told the troops that they had a Thanksgiving message from the president, Bremer suggested that the top U.S. official on the scene should read it."
mr ed - hmm - i dont think i heard that sanchez said that... i thuoght bremer was in charge????

"Only six Baghdad-based journalists -- including this reporter -- were invited to the event in the Iraqi capital, billed by coalition officials as a turkey dinner with US administrator to Iraq L. Paul Bremer III and Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez, commander of American troops in the country."
mr ed - this is the first time i heard that there were bagdad journos at the dinner. it also sez that the event was *billed* as being with sanchez and bremer - so they werent the 'surprise'


"Bremer took to the podium and welcomed the troops to the celebration, telling them he had a Thanksgiving letter from Bush to read to them. Turning to Sanchez, he asked: "Is there anyone more senior than us here to read the letter?"
mred - see - sanchez didnt say anything abuot the letter

"With three senior Governing Council members in the audience"
mr ed: gwb met 4 council members - where did the other one come from? id have thought entry and exit to the base would have been closed for the duration.

"With just a few hours' notice, seven reporters and photographers - half the size of the rotating pool of journalists that usually flies on Air Force One - had been spirited Wednesday onto the secluded, secure tarmac at Texas State Technical College in Waco "
mr ed: so there were 7 who got on at waco?

"The reporters were forbidden to tell even their families or employers about the trip. They were told they would be handed new cell phones when they landed in Baghdad."
mr ed: or when they left baghdad?

"He said that I was going, but that I could not tell my employer or family what was up. It was 3:45 p.m. Central time, and Atkiss told me I should get changed and meet him at 5:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Baylor University stadium."
mr ed: - so the guy was left alone for 105 mins with his cell phone?

"After leaving Texas, the nearly empty plane streaked toward Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to pick up Chief of Staff Andrew Card. Six more journalists - two wire-service reporters and a team from Fox - joined the group. Officials confiscated their electronics gear, from television cameras to pagers, so they could not make a record of the super-secret hangar where they would join the president's party."
mr-ed: ok - so we have 6 journos getting on at andrews.
and electronics equipment was confiscated - apparently the laptops were given back to them, cos they were asked to turn them off b4 landing in baghdad.

"Bush's plane pulled into the hangar, where the ground is painted spotless white, about 10:45 p.m. Eastern time.
Air Force One took off for Baghdad 10 minutes later."
mr ed: 10 minutes between the plane pulling into the hangar, changing planes, and taking off. nice work.

"Bush was asleep within 20 minutes."
mr ed: bullshit chickenshit

"A little after 5 a.m. Baghdad time, about 10 hours after takeoff from Andrews, the cabin lights were turned off and all the shades were drawn."
mr ed: 5.30am? or pm?

"Shortly after takeoff, the first CNN bulletin announcing the trip was relayed onto the Air Force One audio system. The pool reporters were provided air phones to call their news organizations - for the first time in more than 13 hours."
mr ed: i wonder how long 'shortly after takeoff' is. the plane had to get to 10,000 ft, and then phones dispersed, and calls made, and reports put together at cnn, and then broadcast...

"HOW IT WAS DONE
Bush driven to ex-military base in Waco in unmarked vehicle on Wednesday evening
boards Air Force One
lands briefly outside Washington to change planes
departs for Baghdad
press ordered to hand over electronic devices
British Airways pilot almost derails secret plan
final check with secret service three hours before landing
lands in Baghdad Thursday evening
driven in motorcade to dinner with troops
spends two hours celebrating Thanksgiving Day
flies back to US
news "breaks" only after plane leaves Baghdad "

mr ed: - again, the phones are taken after leaving Andrews.

"Mr Bush wanted to make certain that it could be done safely, and was also worried in case his Baghdad blitz would "jeopardise somebody else's life". "
mr ed: we certainly wouldnt want to risk anyone getting hurt.

"It is absolutely critical, when we land, that you do not open your window [blinds]," he told the press pool. "
mred: i wonder why AF1 doesnt have central locking on the blinds rather than risk the presidents life by assuming that journos will do as they are told.

"Bush touched down in Waco, Texas, around 3:45 a.m. (4:45 a.m. EST) Friday en route to his ranch in nearby Crawford. He had arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland several hours earlier. "
mr ed - so they arrived at andrews at midnight (i cant remember if it was cst or est), and its taken at least 3.75, maybe
4.75 hours to get to waco. this flight took 2 hours on the way to iraq, and we've seen that they can switch planes in 10 mins. what happened to the other 2 or 3 hours? nobody has accounted for this time as far as i can see

""It felt good," said Spc. Juan Deloera, also with the 1st Armored Division. "It really boosted my morale." "
mr ed - i dont think i know anyone who would talk like this: 'it really boosted my morale'

"The president also went behind closed doors for two separate meetings with U.S. commanders and four members of the Iraq Governing Council."
mr ed - ok - so we have the two meetings again

"But Philip Taubman, Washington bureau chief of The New York Times, said that "in this day and age, there should have been a way to take more reporters. People are perfectly capable of maintaining a confidence for security reasons. It's a bad precedent.""

Reporters felt the plane land two hours later but were not allowed to look outside until it rolled to a stop inside a top-secret hangar at Andrews.

The aircraft lifted off from Andrews about 10 p.m. CST.

"The running lights were off and Air Force One was hauling faster than normal through the Thanksgiving eve blackness as President George W. Bush headed off from his Texas ranch on a journey into Iraq that his aides hoped would become public only after he showed up for dinner with the troops."
mr ed - oooooh 'faster than usual

"Bush usually hitches to Air Force One, where the magazine racks include Bassmaster"
mr ed - something certainly smells fishy

"After leaving Texas, the nearly empty plane streaked toward Andrews Air Force base in Maryland to refuel and pick up chief of staff Andrew Card and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice."
mr ed - an empty plane requires refuelling after a flight of 2 huors?

"Another six journalists -- two wire-service reporters and a six-man team from Fox -- joined the group at the refuelling stop."
mr ed - i thought there were only 3 foxies?

"The president has two identical planes, each of which becomes Air Force One when Bush is on it. The other is called "the spare," and they are rarely seen together."
mr ed - i wonder why on earth one would be called 'the spare' - i dont think normal people write like this.

and one wonders why if there are only 2 planes, why they would rarely be seen together. isnt the point of the 'spare' is that its a decoy? if so, why would they be permanently apart? theres not a whole lot of point saying 'the president is at a kindergarten in texas today' with the decoy plane being in seattle.

"On this night, the president was to use the super-secret Air Force One hangar at Andrews"
mr ed - how secret can a hangar at andrews really be? super? it sounds like u are trying too hard to make a point.

" the president was to use the super-secret Air Force One hangar at Andrews to transfer to the second plane, which was already fuelled, catered and ready to go."
mr ed - would it be too much to expext that the first plane be fuelled and catered for?

"Bush's plane pulled into the hangar, where the ground is painted spotless white, about 10:45 p.m. Washington time. "
mr ed - again with the detail - 'painted spotless white'?????????

"The reporters were fitted for "ballistic vests" en route. "Anyone have a tailor?" asked the fastidious Keil."
mred: this is the first time ive heard the Keil gag - but it sounds like a plant

"A little after five o'clock in the morning Baghdad time, about 10 hours after takeoff from Andrews, the cabin lights were turned out and all the shades were down. Twenty minutes later, we touched down in Baghdad."
mr ed - heres the same error - 'we' landed at baghdad in the *morning*

"The official waved Allen into a rented Dodge pickup and drove him without explanation to a secluded parking lot a few blocks away."
mr ed - secluded car parks are so xfiles. do people really do this stuff?

" One drowsy photographer was roused from a nap in his hotel."
mr ed - this sounds more like they are trying to make it real, than it actually being real

"All together, the contingent included five reporters — three wire service, one newspaper and one TV network correspondent — plus a three-member TV crew and five still photographers."

"Many of the reporters were incredulous. Some thought it was a practical joke."
mr ed - again. this is the thought of thing u would say if u were trying to make it sound real

""Do you believe it now?" one photographer said to another."
mr ed - again.

"Reporters felt the plane land two hours and 40 minutes later but were not allowed to look outside until the plane rolled to a stop inside a top-secret hangar at Andrews."
mr ed - im sure it was 2 huors, elsewhere, not 2 and 40?????????

"They were warned to turn off all computers and under no circumstance to even crack the shades on their windows. The descent was in a steep spiral to elude any missiles, and with just a sliver of moon to light the tarmac, the plane came to a stop at the end of the runway."
mr ed - krove is very good


"6:45 p.m. Eastern (5:45 p.m. Texan): A Bloomberg reporter, four still photographers, your pooler and White House photographer Tina Hager piled into Atkiss's truck and a photographer's car and pulled around to the back of the Marriott Residence Inn, where we went to look for one other photog who had been unreachable, and luckily was located in time."
mr ed: so there 8 in waco?

"8:27 p.m. (7:27 p.m. Texan): Air Force One was airborne. Journalists peeked out the shades and saw that the plane had on none of the running lights that are customarily visible, including the red or green ones on the wings. The movie "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" had begun playing in the press cabin."
mred - that would be arnie rite?

"8:45 p.m.: The plane seemed to be going unusually fast, and please note below that the average speed was given to us as 665 mph. "
mr ed - i dont even know what it feels like to be going particularly fast.

"9:15 p.m.: In a customary gesture on Air Force One flights, an attendant passed the press cabin one copy of a card, printed in-flight, detailing the trip. On one side of the white card, in blue, is the Presidential seal and the words "Welcome Aboard Air Force One." On the other side, in black, it said: "November 26, 2003. Our Destination Is: Andrews AFB, MD. Expected Arrival Time Is: 10:35 p.m. We Will Fly Over: Texarkana, TX Charleston, WV.""
mr ed - im sure i read somewhere that the cards actually said "lose one hour." this article is so detailed that its odd that he would misquote.

"10:50 p.m.: When the seven journalists from the first flight walked into the cabin, they saw the six who were joining in Washington."
mr ed - 7 or 8?

"11:06 p.m.: Takeoff. The ride right after takeoff was rough, choppy. On Air Force One, little magazine racks are stocked with current issues with "Air Force One" bindings around them. In addition to the usuals like Time and Newsweek, the offerings include Bassmaster.
By 11:19 p.m.: The President was asleep."
mr ed - somehow the journo knows that the pres was asleep within 13 minutes

"7:55 a.m.: After Bartlett briefing, breakfast served -- cheese omelet, two Texas-sized sausages, little cup of oats, plain yogurt, blueberry muffin and orange juice."
mr ed - surely the 'Texas-sized' sausages line is propaganda (unless that is a regular term that im not used to?). cf the repeated reference to Airforce one branding - matts cutlery et al

"9:31 a.m. Washington time (5:32 p.m. local): Touched down
10:50 a.m.: I had taken off my body armor to type, then saw a soldier I wanted to interview. I came back and my vest is gone. The laptop is still there."
mr ed- ok so from what i understand, this journalist is on the biggest story ever, in a war zone. 80 mins after touchdown, he sits down at his computer - im not sure if he is in the tent still? or on the plane? i presume that the prez is in one of his 2 meetings at this time? presumably, Allen was somewhere near the prez cos he prolly wouldnt wanna miss anything - perhaps interviewing the Governing council members as they came out of a meeting or whatever. or maybe miss the best incident re gwb in between meetings or woteva. remember, each of these meetings must have only been 20 mins or something. im sure he wouldnt wanna be too far away from the action.

anyways - so it seems that he was sitting somewhere with his laptop. im not sure what else was going on at the time. and he was in a warzone, and he was presumably issued a flakjacket for some strange reason - maybe cos baghdad mite be dangerous. yet he nonchalantly takes it off to so that he can type. he must still be in BobHope - cos he apparently sees a soldier he wants to interview. did the soldier look like someone who deserved to be interviewed? did Allen recognise the soldier? what does it mean to say 'i saw a soldier i wanted to interview'? wasnt interviewing soldiers specifically forbidden? why would he leave his flakjacket? he has been issued one and he is in a war zone. is it up to the journo to determine what sort of security is appropriate? what if the journo had taken the same disregard for instructions when he was left alone with his cell phone in waco, or when he was asked not to lift the window shades on landing?

and the whole 'vest gone, computer not gone' story was just weird.

Then there is the very odd time line for the visit that CNN, which was not included on the press pool manifest, filed on Wednesday, November 26, the day before the actual landing in Baghdad.

Was the White House visit so carefully scripted, the arrival and departure times in Baghdad were known a day in advance? Was it another typo on the date?

In the CNN report filed on November 26, the president is quoted telling the reporters on Thursday night, November 27, after takeoff from Baghdad, "I was fully prepared to turn this baby around and come home," he says. "Three hours out, I checked with our Secret Service and checked with the people on the ground. They assured me that we still had a tight hold on the information." Incredible, CNN was told the day before what the President would tell reporters the next day?

A 5:30 pm landing in Baghdad would have put Air Force One over very crowded air corridors in Europe at the height of the evening business "rush hour" into such busy airports as Heathrow, Frankfurt and Charles DeGaulle.

Perhaps only the airlines of the "coalition of the willing" countries were trustworthy enough to spot the plane. Now it appears that no other pilot saw Air Force One en route to Iraq.

Agence France Presse also reported from Crawford that hours after Air Force One landed in Texas, a local tourist shop was selling pins depicting the encounter between Air Force One and a British Airways plane.

The American public was also told that Air Force One made a difficult "cork screw" landing in Baghdad. The Post's Allen later reported that the plane "touched down in swift abrupt landing." He later reported the plane made "a dramatic corkscrew landing."