Reply #14: Cheney wanted to keep Bush out of the picture. [View All]

[Hoping4Change]

10:32 a.m. Cheney calls Bush and tells him of a threat to Air Force One. He is told it would take between 40 minutes and 90 minutes to get a protective fighter escort up to Air Force One. His plane turns toward Louisiana soon after.

Many doubt the existence of this threat. For instance, Representative Martin Meehan (D) says, “I don't buy the notion Air Force One was a target. That's just PR, that's just spin.”

A later account calls the threat “completely untrue,” and says Cheney probably made the story up. A well-informed, anonymous Washington official says, “It did two things for . It reinforced his argument that the President should stay out of town, and it gave George W an excellent reason for doing so.”

Why wouldn't Air Force One already have a fighter escort, and why would it take so long for new planes to arrive? Does Cheney also delay a fighter escort? Why does he apparently lie to keep Bush away?

You gotta eyeball

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/essay.jsp?article=bushon911 (SCROLL DOWN TO 9:00 AM)