White House Bonehead of the Week...

Let’s face it, any blunders committed by the current Obama Administration necessitates a scapegoat. After all, why should the Commander in Chief have to take the fall for what happens under his watch? Not that this is, or will be, the last Presidential Administration to make use of the time honored tradition of the “White House Scapegoat.” In fact, plenty of Administrations before this one ( both Republican and Democrat a like), have saved face at one time or another by pinning a bonehead move on a low level peon. That said, this week’s “White House Bonehead of the Week Award” goes to no other than Louis Caldera.

Caldera, the Director of the White House Military Office, was the brilliant mind beyond the infamous Air Force One buzzing of lower Manhattan last Monday. The stunt, a photo opportunity gone horribly wrong, sent thousands of New Yorker into a terror-filled panic. As the plane, with its F-16 escort, flew at low altitude around ground zero, New Yorkers streamed out of buildings thinking they were about to witness another 9/11 attack on the city.

As for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, he was never told what the White House was up to, leaving him to angrily call the stunt "ill-conceived" and a "waste of taxpayers' money."

Naturally, this type of grade-A stupidity had to be pin on somebody. That somebody was not to be White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, who did his best to dodge all questions about the incident. Gibbs went as far as saying that he had no other information about the flyover than what was already in the news, adding the hilarious line, "You might be surprised to know I don't know every movement of Air Force One or what happens to it."

Though a close runner up for Bonehead of the Week, Gibbs managed to dodge the issue long enough for Caldera to step up and issue the following statement:

"Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that
decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."

What’s that? No, not quite Obama issuing an apology for “American arrogance” world wide, is it? Heck, it’s not even an acknowledgement of stupidity. In the end, it’s merely a low level “I am sorry for the confusion” statement.

I am guessing there was no way to pin this one on the Bush Administration? Still it would have been refreshing to have had an Administration take real responsibility for a blunder, but that would be “hoping” for some real “change.”