A question about the USS Abraham Lincoln.

[skypilot]

Off of what coast was the USS Lincoln floating when Bush did the whole "Mission Accomplished" thing?

[veteran_for_peace]

1. It is based in San Diego

[skypilot]

4. Was it off the coast of California...

...when Bush made his aircraft landing there?

[mikehiggins]

2. And it was rescheduled on its return so the photo op

wouldn't show the California coastline behind the Chimp.

[dogtag]

3. Off San Diego,

just off. Remember they had to turn the boat so that the skyline would not show in the photo op pics.

[skypilot]

5. The reason I'm asking...

...is because one of my coworkers thought that the USS Lincoln was somewhere in the Persian Gulf when Bush landed on it. I was telling her that Bush didn't take his ass anywhere NEAR the Persian Gulf until his "surprise" visit to the troops on Thanksgiving.

[JHB]

6. And he made the sailors wait 'til after nap time to see their families...

...meanwhile, wasn't the whole hullabaloo over Clinton's runway haircut the idea that he kept an entire busy airport waiting while got his fancy 'do? (despite the fact that the "wait" didn't happen: a check of FAA records showed that the only delay was of an unscheduled small commuter plane -- by a whole two minutes.):

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/10/29/iraq/main580661.shtml

"Despite initial claims that the ship was too far out to sea for a helicopter landing, forcing the president to use a jet, the Lincoln was actually within helicopter range when Mr. Bush arrived.

The jet flight was much more dramatic than a helicopter arrival would have been, as the president took the control stick for part of the flight and emerged on deck wearing a flight suit and helmet.

In addition, Pentagon officials told the Washington Post that after the president's speech, the Lincoln waited offshore for hours while he slept rather than heading into port after its 10-month voyage."

[drdtroit]

9. He actually made them wait two weeks

That's how long they were back in San Diego (off the coast) preparing the ship for the Chimps arrival (they had a lot of newspaper to lay on the deck, the Chimp isn't potty trained).

[AlCzervik]

7. Tell her also that the real pilot of the plane * flew on was killed

recently.

[skypilot]

8. She's not a Republican or anything.

She despised Bush. She simply wasn't clear on this one detail--neither was I as it turns out but I DID know that Bush wasn't in the Persian Gulf. She's even more appalled now at how stage-managed the whole thing was.

[drdtroit]

10. Truth out n/t