stasisLAX From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 3267 posts, RR: 6 Posted (1 year 3 weeks 3 days 4 hours ago) and read 5076 times:
President Obama quietly and covertly left the White House late last night to board AF1 for a trip to Kabul, Afghanistan to sign a long-term cooperation agreement with the Afghan president. According to reports on CNN, President Obama demanded that Air Force One be utilized for the trip, as opposed to a executive configured AF cargo jet or even a Gulfstream III - which would have been much easier to "hide" in comparison to the huge, gleaming VC-25. This event recalls similar war-zone covert trips taken by George W Bush to Iraq and by Lyndon Johnson to Vietnam and Austrailia. President Clinton took a hush-hush trip to Pakistan and Eisenhower took a covert trip to Korea while he was President-Elect to assist in negotiations to the end of the Korean War. All of which must have given the entire Presidential Protection detail of the Secret Service migraines and heart attacks. My question is - did President Obama depart for Kabul from Andrews AFB? Even under cover of darkness, it's pretty damn hard to miss the VC-25 departing - even with all the window shades closed! The White House today covered for the missing Obama by publishing a bogus daily schedule for the President, even issuing reports of measures signed by the President today. Pretty sneaky, if you ask me - but all done in order to ensure the President's safety.
Confuscius From United States of America, joined Aug 2001, 3636 posts, RR: 2 Reply 2, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 23 hours ago) and read 4958 times:
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): his event recalls similar war-zone covert trips taken by George W Bush to Iraq and by Lyndon Johnson to Vietnam and Austrailia. President Clinton took a hush-hush trip to Pakistan and Eisenhower took a covert trip to Korea...
Was Nixon's trip to China a secret as well?
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): All of which must have given the entire Presidential Protection detail of the Secret Service migraines...
Revelation From United States of America, joined Feb 2005, 10494 posts, RR: 20 Reply 6, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 15 hours ago) and read 4741 times:
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): All of which must have given the entire Presidential Protection detail of the Secret Service migraines and heart attacks.
bikerthai From United States of America, joined Apr 2010, 1601 posts, RR: 4 Reply 7, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 14 hours ago) and read 4688 times:
Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter): which would have been much easier to "hide" in comparison to the huge, gleaming VC-25.
Didn't he helo into Kabul from the airport? Marine One would have been easier to take down than the big wide body. Although the whirlybird would have been a smaller target.
rc135x From United States of America, joined Aug 2007, 161 posts, RR: 2 Reply 8, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 4637 times:
Quoting Confuscius (Reply 2): Was Nixon's trip to China a secret as well?
Nixon's trip to China was highly publicized from start to finish. Henry Kissinger's flight to set up the meeting, however, was quite secret and involved some "cloak and dagger" dissembling.
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stasisLAX From United States of America, joined Jul 2007, 3267 posts, RR: 6 Reply 9, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 6 hours ago) and read 4444 times:
Quoting stealthz (Reply 4): Australia was a war zone, when LBJ was here???
No, of course Australia was NOT a war zone. The prime minister of Australia (I forget the PM's name) died suddenly, and LBJ (on the spur of the moment) decided he wanted to personally pay his respects to his loyal friend. Since he was in the region, he also made a surprise visit to Vietnam.
"Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety!" B.Franklin
KC135TopBoom From United States of America, joined Jan 2005, 11715 posts, RR: 52 Reply 10, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 4430 times:
Quoting Revelation (Reply 6): Quoting stasisLAX (Thread starter):All of which must have given the entire Presidential Protection detail of the Secret Service migraines and heart attacks.
I hear they have ways to relieve the stress....
Quoting rc135x (Reply 8): Henry Kissinger's flight to set up the meeting, however, was quite secret and involved some "cloak and dagger" dissembling.
So were Kissinger's flights to set up the Paris Peace Talks, he was allowed to use the VC-137C, so he would have instant and secure talks with the WH.
Quoting stasisLAX (Reply 9): The prime minister of Australia (I forget the PM's name) died suddenly, and LBJ (on the spur of the moment) decided he wanted to personally pay his respects to his loyal friend. Since he was in the region, he also made a surprise visit to Vietnam.
That would be Harold Holt, who disappeared while swimming, and was never found.
President Bush may have pulled off the biggest secret war zone visit in History. Over the 2005 Thanksgiving Holiday weekend he, and his family flew to his Texas ranch and the public was told President Bush would spend the holiday there with his family. I believe they arrived in Texas the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Later that evening, he rode in an SUV back to the Waco Airport and boarded AF-1 which was scheduled to return to ADW for a maintenance check. It did and taxied into its hanger, where the President boarded the second VC-25 and it took off for Bagdad at night with the logo lights off. The mission was filed as one of the C-37s. The troops were surprised when the President was standing on the serving line dishing out their Thanksgfiving dinner.
The press was really PO'd at Bush as they didn'ty know anything about the trip until after Bush returned to Texas and to his family. All they had were the WH ttaking pictures of the President and his troops.
Unlike President Obama, President Bush didn't make the trip during an election year, and he didn't "spike the football", or make it a campagin trip, or claim he killed anyone.
chuchoteur From France, joined Sep 2006, 700 posts, RR: 0 Reply 11, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 4417 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 10): the President boarded the second VC-25 and it took off for Bagdad at night with the logo lights off. The mission was filed as one of the C-37s. The troops were surprised when the President was standing on the serving line dishing out their Thanksgfiving dinner.
Wasn't that the one where the whole thing was almost blown when some commercial airliner started blabbing on the frequency that he thought he'd seen AF1 only to get a reply from the guys stating another aircraft type so obviously not comparable that he shut up?
ZANL188 From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 3250 posts, RR: 0 Reply 12, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 4394 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 10): President Bush may have pulled off the biggest secret war zone visit in History. Over the 2005 Thanksgiving Holiday weekend he, and his family flew to his Texas ranch and the public was told President Bush would spend the holiday there with his family. I believe they arrived in Texas the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Later that evening, he rode in an SUV back to the Waco Airport and boarded AF-1 which was scheduled to return to ADW for a maintenance check. It did and taxied into its hanger, where the President boarded the second VC-25 and it took off for Bagdad at night with the logo lights off. The mission was filed as one of the C-37s. The troops were surprised when the President was standing on the serving line dishing out their Thanksgfiving dinner.
The press was really PO'd at Bush as they didn'ty know anything about the trip until after Bush returned to Texas and to his family. All they had were the WH ttaking pictures of the President and his troops.
Unlike President Obama, President Bush didn't make the trip during an election year, and he didn't "spike the football", or make it a campagin trip, or claim he killed anyone.
It was 2003. It was the Thanksgiving before an election.... and he took the press pool with him, probably embargoed until after the trip but they went along just the same......
tugger From United States of America, joined Apr 2006, 4633 posts, RR: 7 Reply 13, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 4390 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 10): Unlike President Obama, President Bush didn't make the trip during an election year, and he didn't "spike the football", or make it a campagin trip, or claim he killed anyone.
Can we please not go there? Do we really need this thread to go down the political battle path?
Tugg
I don’t know that I am unafraid to be myself, but it is hard to be somebody else. -W. Shatner
sasd209 From British Indian Ocean Territory, joined Oct 2007, 633 posts, RR: 0 Reply 14, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 4349 times:
Quoting bikerthai (Reply 7): Didn't he helo into Kabul from the airport? Marine One would have been easier to take down than the big wide body. Although the whirlybird would have been a smaller target.
MH-47G was used as the helo transport for the visit.
sasd209 From British Indian Ocean Territory, joined Oct 2007, 633 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (1 year 3 weeks 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 4329 times:
Quoting washingtonian (Reply 15): Did they refuel mid-air en route to Kabul? Or stopped in Europe?
I believe the VC-25A can do that trip non-stop on internal fuel from CONUS... Please feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.
bikerthai From United States of America, joined Apr 2010, 1601 posts, RR: 4 Reply 17, posted (1 year 3 weeks 1 day 14 hours ago) and read 4151 times:
Quoting sasd209 (Reply 14):
MH-47G was used as the helo transport for the visit.
Huh . . . so it would be called Army 1? And when Bush landed on the Carrier, was it called Navy 1? Or would these flight be called their regular designated name? Maybe the Secret Service may not want us to know.
737tanker From United States of America, joined Dec 2005, 221 posts, RR: 0 Reply 18, posted (1 year 3 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 4062 times:
Quoting bikerthai (Reply 17): Huh . . . so it would be called Army 1? And when Bush landed on the Carrier, was it called Navy 1? Or would these flight be called their regular designated name? Maybe the Secret Service may not want us to know.
It is public information that whatever Service is providing the aircraft for the President it is called the Service Branch One. So when Bush went to the carrier it's call sign was Navy one. If the president happens to fly on a commercial aircraft, as Nixon did once, the call sign for that flight would be Executive One.
ZANL188 From United States of America, joined Oct 2006, 3250 posts, RR: 0 Reply 20, posted (1 year 3 weeks 1 day 6 hours ago) and read 3912 times:
Quoting 737tanker (Reply 18): It is public information that whatever Service is providing the aircraft for the President it is called the Service Branch One.
Not if they don't want folks to know who it is......
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rc135x From United States of America, joined Aug 2007, 161 posts, RR: 2 Reply 21, posted (1 year 3 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 3741 times:
Quoting KC135TopBoom (Reply 10): So were Kissinger's flights to set up the Paris Peace Talks, he was allowed to use the VC-137C, so he would have instant and secure talks with the WH.
According to his book "White House Years," Kissinger would sneak aboard an 89th 707 at Andrews and fly to Avord AB in France while the 707 was on a routine training mission. He would deplane and then board a French Mystere 20 for the flight to Villacoublay, near Paris, while the 707 took off again within 20 minutes. On one occasion the process was nearly compromised; to maintain secrecy observers were told that Kissinger was the French President's mistress......
Kissinger's presence on board the 707s was a secret, and all message traffic was handled by the U.S. Military Attaché in Paris General Vernon Walters, at whose home Kissinger stayed.
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Eagleboy From Niue, joined Dec 2009, 1621 posts, RR: 2 Reply 22, posted (1 year 2 weeks 3 days 13 hours ago) and read 3263 times:
Quoting chuchoteur (Reply 11): Wasn't that the one where the whole thing was almost blown when some commercial airliner started blabbing on the frequency that he thought he'd seen AF1 only to get a reply from the guys stating another aircraft type so obviously not comparable that he shut up?
That was the trip. I believe it was a British Airways aircraft that spotted and aircraft that definitely wasn't a G-V (C-37)......
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