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Jewish World Review May 13, 2005 / 4 Iyar, 5765 Bicycler-in-Chief left in the dark By Joe Scarborough
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I like riding bikes.
Actually, that's a lie.
I think it is a horrendous waste of time. I like eating Hot Fudge Sundaes and knocking back iced mochas with massive amounts of whip cream. I like reading books and newspapers, sitting by the pool all day like Chairman Mao with Blackberry and cheeseburger in tow.
But were I the President of the United States instead of a walking coronary eruption waiting to happen, I would probably exercise much like our current buff Commander-in-Chief.
Somebody once told me that exercising sharpens one's mind more than sitting on a couch eating ribs and drinking sickly sweet iced tea. I have my doubts about that still unproven theory but am willing to give health care officials the benefit of the doubt.
So POTUS riding a bike in rural Maryland may be a good thing.
But POTUS being left in the dark while screaming and gnashing of teeth is the order of the day in official Washington is probably not such a bright idea.
White House spokesman Scott McClellen told reporters that the President was pleased with how the situation developed yesterday and that all systems worked as planned.
Really?
The Vice President and his motorcade screeched out of the White House compound and the President was still pedaling away.
The United States Congress was in the middle of a vote when Capital Police rushed in and started screaming at the top of their lungs: "Get out now! This is not a drill! Leave!"
The President? Still pumpin' those pedals.
The First Lady (for those keeping score at home, this is the Bicycler-in-Chief's wife) was rushed to a secure location.
But no one told President and hubby George W. Bush.
I hate to break it to White House officials, but their fearless leader knew less about the security crisis gripping the nation's capital than millions of Americans.
If the President isn't troubled by these developments, then I am.
As Mr. Bush likes to remind us, we are in a war on terror where seconds count.
The first frenzied moments of September 11th were filled with fear, confusion, and very bad intelligence. If the situation yesterday was so dire that the White House was put on its first red alert since 9/11, the Commander in Chief should have been let in on that little secret.
It would be like keeping Churchill in the dark during Nazi attacks over London. Imagine one of the Prime Minister's men saying to security detail, "Winston is painting at Chartwell right now. Probably best if the P.M. is not disturbed."
It would not happen then. It should not happen now.
If the President of the United States cannot have his bike ride interrupted to learn of a possible terror attack on Washington, then he is not fit to lead this country in its war on terror.
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Former Congressman Joe Scarborough (R-Fla.) hosts “Scarborough Country,” 10 p.m. ET, weeknights on MSNBC. He is the author of the recently published "Rome Wasn't Burnt in a Day : The Real Deal on How Politicians, Bureaucrats, and Other Washington Barbarians are Bankrupting America". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)Comment by clicking here. © 2005, MSNBC |
Arnold Ahlert | |||||||||||
