Cool speech site shows Bush knows how to have fun

Chicago Sun-Times ^ | May 2, 2003 | NEIL STEINBERG

[FairOpinion]

We are a cynical, image-conscious, media-savvy society. If Jesus Christ returned to Earth tomorrow, and was floating over Grant Park delivering a sermon, newscasters would talk over his words to comment on the awe-inspiring quality of the moment and the dramatic power of his airborne delivery. Thus, even before President Bush's S3 Viking jet landed on the USS Abraham Lincoln Thursday, TV pundits were warbling about the obvious leadership symbolism (if it's so obvious, why remark on it?), and the critics were crying "cowboy!'' and offering up their tired perspectives.

I view it differently. When I saw the president take off his helmet, smile broadly and greet the assembled servicemen and women, I thought: That looks fun.

How could it not be? The thrill of landing on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific. Of allowing servicemen who have been at sea for nearly 10 months a welcome home visit by their leader? (Fun for the president, at least--I'm sure the sailors were hot to get to port).

Fun for the president, in fact, might even have been the motivating factor. Bush doesn't really need to underline his commander-in-chief chops--the Iraq War did that nicely. Rather, I believe, he chose to arrive on the Abraham Lincoln the way he did because it seemed like a hoot. And whether Bush himself cooked up the idea of being the first president to land in a plane aboard a carrier, or merely approved the suggestion of some handler, you still have to credit him. It takes guts to have fun nowadays, in our all-business environment. Particularly leaders, who are supposed to be shaving pennies and grappling with problems.

But that gets old. We shouldn't underestimate the value of leaders who have fun from time to time. Who wants some lemon-faced Jimmy Carter-type always lecturing and complaining and turning down the thermostat? Life is tough enough without watching those you've elected grind through life.

Contrast Bush with our own Mayor Daley, a man who seems to be truly suffering under the weight of office. Long before the frightening, Captain Queeg-like justification of his midnight ruin of Meigs Field, I was struck by how much he didn't seem to enjoy himself. He seems so irked. You never see him at a baseball game, happy and relaxed, chatting with the players. No. He's always got his hands locked in a white-knuckle grip at a podium, his eyes darting around as if he just can't wait to bolt home and go crawl under the bed.

Sure, it's risky to have fun. The president served a slow pitch to his critics by going to that aircraft carrier. But so what? They hate him anyway. The visit was a welcome break from the news cycle of SARS and woes in Iraq. A big chunk of Thursday afternoon TV news was devoted to a rare exploration of naval hardware, of the awesome might of the aircraft carrier, of the specifications of the various planes that land there. It was cool stuff, and Bush obviously reveled in it.

"It's a good day to be president,'' gushed one CNN talking head, getting into the spirit of the thing.

Really, how can you not marvel at military hardware? Yes, it kills people, sometimes, then so do automobiles--another Vietnam War's worth of casualties every 16 months in this country. But we still go guiltlessly to the Auto Show.

I don't think I'm unique here. Most guys I know retain their little boy fascination with things military. True, I'm the only person I know who dragged his wife aboard a Navy ship on their honeymoon. In my defense, it was a complete accident. We were working our way through bed-and-breakfasts in New England, and we stopped at Bar Harbor, Maine. There was an enormous ship in the harbor, the USS Farion, a missile frigate, and as we gazed at her profile, the thought crossed my mind that it might be a romantic outing if my bride and I rented a canoe and paddled out to look at the vessel.

But even in those pre-9/11 days, I worried that they might turn the deck guns on us. So I went over to a group of sailors in whites, standing on the pier, and asked if they thought it would be OK if we canoed around the ship.

They told us we probably could, but if we wanted a closer look, there was a tour at 1 p.m. So we caught a running boat over and joined about two dozen people taken through the ship. The tour took two hours, and was a jaw-dropping tribute to modern military power. The weapon that stood out for me was the domed Phalanx anti-missile gun that fired depleted-uranium bullets. The guide said the gun--and I'm groping into memory here--fired 600 rounds a second and held 2,000 shells. I stuck my hand up. "Didn't that mean it would run out of ammo in a little over three seconds?'' The guide paused, smiling, as if he gets that question every time, and answered that the computer tracked each shot, comparing it with the radar profile of what was coming their way, that it not only would knock out a missile streaking toward the ship, but then blow up the fragments before they hit the water. It fires exactly the number of bullets it needs, and then stops.

The Phalanx is a great symbol for the war we just fought--overwhelming force calibrated finely to do the job. As are the depleted-uranium bullets, used because they're heavier than lead, so pack more punch. You have to admire a technology so advanced that lead isn't heavy enough. Or I do, anyway.

[btcusn]

Considering that the Phalinx system is mounted on a ship, is only fired at sea, has never been used for real since the only time a missle was fired at a U.S. Navy ship, ciws was turned off (USS Stark). It has been fired just for testing far out to sea, I really don't think too many Gulf war vets were affected.
And they really ARE neat, sounds like a very loud fart when firing.
Jack

[Flightdeck]

"The president's going out to an aircraft carrier to give a speech far out at sea ... while countless numbers of Americans are frightened stiff about the economy at home," said Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, who is seeking his party's presidential nomination.

Translation: Waah, how come I didn't get to go on an aircraft carrier?

[MikeD]

We shouldn't underestimate the value of leaders who have fun from time to time.

Especially leaders who have fun that you can explain to your kids without wincing...

I loved the lettering on the side of the jet -- "George W. Bush Commander-in-Chief."

Anyone else think he took the stick at some point during the flight in?

MD

[MEG33]

I saw the pilot interviewed..yes President Bush flew the plane ..the pilot was so happy with the experience although he said he was a bit nervous at first.He then forgot about it and just did his job.

[Wright is right!]

"Anyone else think he took the stick at some point during the flight in?"

The pilot told the media that The Dubya "had the airplane" for about 1/3 of the trip out. Said that the Prez "still had it" from his days flying the F-102.

Michael

[Glock22]

Uhhhhh...Greybird?

No illness has been linked to DU munitions. Not in servicemen, not in civilians, not anywhere. Deep breath.

You'll get no disagreement from me about the VA, but the tinfiol hat stuff is ridiculous.

But then, a person who talks about an American 'empire' naturally has a certain turn of mind....

[BibChr]

(Fun for the president, at least--I'm sure the sailors were hot to get to port).

Haven't read further yet, but I'd put money down that he's dead wrong about this.

I would wager that, to the "sailors" not overwhelmed with the faux-jaded cynicism so fashionable today, this was one of the high points of their lives, and they'll be telling their grandchildren about it. Having a President suit up, fly, land with them at sea to thank them — wow. I bet it is cool beyond words.

Dan

[MEG33]

Thank you for your post about depleted uranium.It was the main talking point for Iraqi propaganda and I'd read the claims were not backed by science.Greybird hits and runs.

[strider44]

(Fun for the president, at least--I'm sure the sailors were hot to get to port).
Haven't read further yet, but I'd put money down that he's dead wrong about this.

I would wager that, to the "sailors" not overwhelmed with the faux-jaded cynicism so fashionable today, this was one of the high points of their lives, and they'll be telling their grandchildren about it. Having a President suit up, fly, land with them at sea to thank them — wow. I bet it is cool beyond words.

I have to comment here about the stark dichotomy that exist between the present administration and the last under slick-willy. I agree with your comments, I'm sure the sailors were thrilled and will tell the story the rest of their lives. I'm sure they had to clean the hell out of everything on this ship, all get haircuts, and all the typical crap you have to do leading up to a VIP dog and pony show. But you get over that.

Contrast this to my experiences as a company commander in Bosnia between 95' and 97'. We were told that then president clinton would be visiting our base to meet and greet the troops, give a pep-talk etc. He also wanted to give out a few medals and promote some soldiers. % of my soldiers were picked out along with about a dozen more from the rest of the battalion to get promoted by the president. All of my soldiers came to me privately saying they didn't want to be promoted by clinton. They didn't want to shake his hand. So put yourself in my position - I had to give my soldiera a direct order to participate in the event and show respect to the CINC. I was disgusted, but I had to do it. I was dreading the fact that I would have to meet clinton and shake his hand and salute him. Contrast this to the reception that Bush got yesterday.

As it turns out, we were lucky back in 97. The weather was shitty (like it always was) so the president got diverted and we never had to meet him. Thanks god.

I'm still bitter that my 8 years of active duty as a UH-60 pilot were the same 8 years clinton was president. Any wonder why I left the military?

[BibChr]

From my heart, THANK YOU for your service.

As much as a civilian can, I feel for you, I really do. I thought often and long about what a misery it must be to (A) be in the Nameless One's military, and (B) not be able to utter a syllable about it. And your situation was heightened pain and anguish.

You do answer some questions, confirm some suspicions, for me. I couldn't think most soldiers were happy with their CiC.

That is one of the things that, to use the corny phrase, just makes my heart swell with pride over President Bush. Sure, I'm to the right of him; sure I imagine I'd've done this and that differently than he has. But it is CLEAR BEYOND DOUBT that he respects and loves the military, and I think they know it. And what he does, he does from the heart, not as a calculation.

As a civilian, I think and say often, what a relief it is to have a President who doesn't make me cringe every time he appears or opens his mouth. More than that, this one actually makes me proud. He's REAL.

And what genius is that? President Bush — unlike the Nameless One — has not gone on and on about how terrible his predecessor was, and what a mess he left, and how he's had to clean up so much and repair so much. He just DID it. Actions, not mere words.

But those actions speak volumes, don't they?

Try not to be too bitter, if I may say so. The nation needed defending, and all the more with the Presient it had. You rose to the task. You're to be thanked.

And God (note caps, for personal pronoun) is to be thanked for the President we have.

Dan

[Oztrich Boy]

The guide said the gun--and I'm groping into memory here--fired 600 rounds a second and held 2,000 shells. I stuck my hand up. "Didn't that mean it would run out of ammo in a little over three seconds?'' The guide paused, smiling, as if he gets that question every time, and answered that the computer tracked each shot, comparing it with the radar profile of what was coming their way, that it not only would knock out a missile streaking toward the ship, but then blow up the fragments before they hit the water. It fires exactly the number of bullets it needs, and then stops.

As much as it pains me to say it (OK not all that much really), but you were fed a load of BS.

The rate of fire of Phalanx is either 50r/sec(Block 0) or 75 r/sec (block 1) with a magazine capacity of 1000-1500 rounds.

More significantly the max effective engagement range is 1500m., with a desired counter to the threat of 1000+m. mv is c.1000m/s. So at initial engagement there will 1½ sec of ammo in the air (75-100 rds) before the first reaches the target. It will be another 1¼ sec before the effectiveness of the intial burst can be evaluated.

There can be no tracking, targeting, and strike evaluation of individual shells. At best it's burst fire, check to see if target is still there, if so a second burst. If that doesn't work, it's damage control.

[proud American in Canada]

Thanks for posting!

[humblegunner]

Nice touch, eh???

[strider44]

Thanks for the kind words. It was a tough nut to swallow, believe me. On more than one occasion I had battalion commanders order us to keep the anti-clinton comments to ourselves. As much as you hate the guy, you had to hold your tongue. I can only imagine the abject horror if Hillary ever gets elected pres. The poor guys on active duty that would be forced to meet her...it turns my stomach.

[BibChr]

The phrase "cruel and unusual punishment" does come to mind.

Mmm... a Constitutional "out" for the military?

Dan
(c;

[Lopeover]

He looks like he had fun, but he also looked like a very strong leader to those nations in the world that only value strength. One picture is worth a thousand words, especially to an enemy.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Love the article and clearly The Pres was having fun.

This reporter was apparently just doing his JOB:

Drama intended in Bush's jet flight - (Barf Alert)

[Libertina]

Great article. And he's correct about the President's visit bringing notice to the military. About time! What a bunch of smart, brave, compassionate Americans. It makes me proud.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Got a photo I borrowed from another thread:

Notice how well the commander is doing!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Humblegunner


Your photo is out of date!