Arrogance of Bush

[Vladd67]

Thousands of passengers face delays and cancellations - to allow President Bush’s Air Force One jet to land at Heathrow | Vladd’s view of the World
Just how much chaos does this man have to create. Is he that far gone he thinks everyone has to kow tow to his whims?

[chrispenycate]

As to the latter, yes. And he has some evidence that everybody will.
Of course, it's not him personally, but as the ultimate representative of the almighty Untied States of America.

But, as regards security, he does have some excuse for paranoia; the main thing that protects him from assasination attempts is the horrible thought of what it would be like with Cheney in the job…

[Vladd67]

If security is such a problem what is wrong with RAF Brize Norton or even the American base at RAF Lakenheath

[ktabic]

As one of my colleagues just commented to me - make him land at terminal five, that'll teach him.

[chrispenycate]

I suppose it's too much to hope that they'll make him take his shoes off before queuing for the metal detector? And his SS bodyguards, too?

Mind you, for losing luggage (another pious hope) the stateside aeroports are even better at it than Heathrow; I would recommend seeking a guitar case in Dallas/Fort Worth as an excellent training in endurance (relatively vile)

[Wiglaf]

Landing at a military base would have been wiser. However, if a prime minister of pretty much anywhere landed at an American airport, it would have been shut down as well.

[Drachir]

I doubt that Bush had much to do with the closure of the airport. Blame British security.

[purple_kathryn]

er I thought the president's security was pretty much dictated by his security team.

[Overread]

and ours as well.
I think this is a publicity move - a move to say firstly that he is not afraid of terrorists (by landing at a non-military airport) and also a way to try and make him seem more "normal" to the people by being amung them (as false as the truth is some people still buy into this)

[purple_kathryn]

He's coming over to Northern Ireland tomorrow and there have been warnings that the Belfast traffic will be chaotic. Hopefully not on the route my bus takes to get me home. Traffic is horrible enough at the moment

[littlemissattitude]

Funnily enough, I read something the other day (in a print newspaper, so I don't have a link; sorry) that indicates the people of Washington, DC, are much more upset by VP Cheney and his motorcades, which apparently are long and pushy, and way too frequent. There have, apparently, been complaints from other places the VP has visited, as well, on this score.

As far as airports, I can't remember any reports of things being tied up for inordinate amounts of time when Bush or any other president has flown into the airport here in Fresno (which is both a commercial airport and base for a wing of the California Air National Guard). There was that time when Clinton was president, however, when it was complained that air traffic at the airport in Los Angeles (LAX, one of the busiest airports in the world) was held up for an unconscionable amount of time while a barber was brought in to give Bill a haircut. And once, when he was in this area, I was caught in about a two-hour traffic stoppage waiting for Clinton's motorcade to come back into town after a speech in a small outlying town. The holdup had come when Clinton saw a local fruit stand and ordered the motorcade stopped there so he could visit. I can't say I minded waiting, as it was the only time I've ever seen a sitting president in the flesh.

So, as much as I don't want to be seen as making excuses for Dubya, I don't think it is so much a Bush problem as a president/vice-president problem.

[mosaix]

Originally Posted by purple_kathryn

He's coming over to Northern Ireland tomorrow and there have been warnings that the Belfast traffic will be chaotic. Hopefully not on the route my bus takes to get me home. Traffic is horrible enough at the moment

I was once kicked off a flight from Belfast to Manchester so that a certain Mr Enoch Powell could travel instead.

I wouldn't care but I hated the man and everything he stood for. If it had been Tony Benn I would willingly have given up my seat.

[Vladd67]

BA anger after 40,000 disrupted by Bush visit | Vladd’s view of the World
Ah well 40,000 disrupted, hope he's happy.

[Octarine Lantern]

I was at airport in Minneapolis once when President Bush was visiting. Flights were grounded for about 30-45 minutes until Air Force One took off. I agree with previous posters that it's just a president thing, not necessarily a Bush thing.

Unfortunately, I think if we don't like someone, we'll look at anything he/she does in the worst possible light. Not everything Bush does is evil. I highly doubt he plotted to disrupt traffic.

[iansales]

We don't need Bush to disrupt thousands of passengers at Heathrow. We're quite capable of doing it ourselves. Such as when we open a new terminal...