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Home Front: WoT
Report: Bush mulled sending troops into Buffalo
2009-07-25
Ah, they mulled it. Scary stuff. I bet they also mulled the Ginger vs. Mary Ann dilemma at one point, too, which is probably something that this reporter is better equipped to handle. Even still, I'd be willing to bet that he still hasn't figured out that the answer to this amusing dilemma is just a plain and simple "Yes."
The Bush administration in 2002 considered sending U.S. troops into a Buffalo, N.Y., suburb to arrest a group of terror suspects in what would have been a nearly unprecedented use of military power, The New York Times reported.

Vice President Dick Cheney and several other Bush advisers at the time strongly urged that the military be used to apprehend men who were suspected of plotting with al Qaida, who later became known as the Lackawanna Six, the Times reported on its Web site Friday night. It cited former administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The proposal advanced to at least one-high level administration meeting, before President George W. Bush decided against it.

Dispatching troops into the streets is virtually unheard of. The Constitution and various laws restrict the military from being used to conduct domestic raids and seize property.
And it's probably one of the reasons why W decided against it.

Rest at link because AP is getting litigous about copying their whole article even if a link to their sucky "article" is included.
Posted by:gorb

#23  Talking about Top Gun, I heard that Tom Cruise almost died during the filming of the scene where he parachuted into the water. He got tangled in the shrouds. A Navy diver who was observing the filming realized what had happened, and dove in an rescued him.
Also, several of the fellows in my Naval Reserve unit were former pilots. They all agreed that any one of the stunts those guys pulled would have cost them their wings - no second chances.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2009-07-25 23:07  

#22  true, but the flameout supposedly occurred in the east county desert and the plane landed in the ocean IIRC...it worked for the story....not so much for reality. Kinda like W and Cheney itching to send troops to Buffalo
Posted by: Frank G   2009-07-25 20:35  

#21  It's been a long time since I saw Top Gun but the the Top Gun school used to be at Mirimar. Yeah they did a lot over the desert and I-15 as well but I think they did some over the ocean as well.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2009-07-25 19:58  

#20  Mary Ann, of course
Posted by: Frank G   2009-07-25 19:58  

#19  What are you people talking about?

I only have one thought. Mary Ann. Definitely Mary Ann.
Posted by: Mizzou Mafia   2009-07-25 19:45  

#18  you can see it in the movie "Blue Thunder", where the evil Malcolm McDowell throws an NVA officer out of the helicopter, onto the Vietnamese saguaros below.

reminds me of "Top Gun" when a flameout and flat spin of the jet in desert wargames (70 miles+ inland) results in Goose's death in the ocean off San Diego. Go figure.
Posted by: Frank G   2009-07-25 17:59  

#17  Exasperated aid: "Mr. President, somebody should shoot these goddamn reporters!!"
Bush: "No, I don't think we can do that. Now get out of here, you're fired."

Headline: "Bush Mulls Assassinating Journalists"
Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy   2009-07-25 17:52  

#16  Even though I really hated Bush's domestic policies.....

God do I miss the man. Now we have tweedlede dee the wonder dummy for a president.

Oh joy. Oh rapture.
Posted by: DarthVader   2009-07-25 17:47  

#15  tu3031: They used to build black helicopters in Mesa, AZ, and because there is only one N-S helicopter corridor in Phoenix Metro, if you spent time on the Verde River, you saw black helicopters.

If you want to see the helicopter view of the Verde River, you can see it in the movie "Blue Thunder", where the evil Malcolm McDowell throws an NVA officer out of the helicopter, onto the Vietnamese saguaros below.

Which gave me no end of amusement.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2009-07-25 16:33  

#14  The conversation probably went something like this:
Some nitwit on the staff - "How about we send in troops to arrest them? They are dangerous"
Bush - "Hmm.Let's think about that for a nanosecond or so. OK, what about the posse comitatus act?"
Some nitwit on the staff - "You're right, sir. I forgot about that"
Bush - "OK. Next option, anyone?"
According to the NY Slimes, this means that Bush thought about it.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia   2009-07-25 16:09  

#13  I hear they only changed their minds after running out of black paint for the helicopters...
Posted by: tu3031   2009-07-25 14:10  

#12  When dealing with an enemy all courses of action must be concidered. I'm sure there was a CIA, FBI, and Customs course of action. Good ones kept bad ones tossed. Anything else would have been bad leadership and poor staffing.
Posted by: 49 Pan   2009-07-25 12:19  

#11  I apologize for my grammar. Guess it also depends on what the definition of 'is' is!
Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091   2009-07-25 10:58  

#10   But, but, but Federal troops facing off with the State Police at the University of Alabama in 1963 was ok.

The way I understand it is it is state's rights issue and it was Al troops in '63.Kent State and other incidences in the turbulent '60's had fed troops called out to quell riots. NY National Guard could have arrested them, just as it must be troops from Texas, Arizona, California, etc. on the border.
Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091   2009-07-25 10:56  

#9  That is just wrong, there are plenty of cities that need troops more: LA, Oakland, Detroit.
Posted by: Cyber Sarge   2009-07-25 10:44  

#8  I suspect that Dick Cheney was using the precedent of Operation Pastorius, in which Nazi saboteurs, while arrested by police, were then immediately turned over to the military for trial by a military commission, that eventually resulted in six of the eight being hung.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Pastorius

At the time, lawyers tried to force a civilian trial, but the SCOTUS found for the military.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2009-07-25 10:27  

#7  Wouldn't that have been cruel to the troops?
I mean like Buffalo?
What would they do... watch the Bills for fun?
Eat wings?
Posted by: 3dc   2009-07-25 10:00  

#6  Or sending them to the Oxford (MS) in 1962. Of course that being a Donk president, it's OK for the usual suspects.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2009-07-25 09:55  

#5  The horse isn't completly dead, W was in Woodward America the other day.
Posted by: bman   2009-07-25 09:13  

#4  But, but, but Federal troops facing off with the State Police at the University of Alabama in 1963 was ok.
Posted by: Besoeker   2009-07-25 09:11  

#3  I predicted that The One would pull the "Blame Bush" crap for a long time and it would only work for the first 6-12 months. Looks like people are catching on to it in the non-Rantburg world.

I also predict that when the "Blame Bush" scheme fails to gain any traction anymore, you will see bills for internet speech regulation disguised as hate speech or some stupid thing.
Posted by: DarthVader   2009-07-25 08:32  

#2  "Whenever Obama suffers some sort of negative press, the media, with no help from the Admin I'm sure..gg...releases something evil and sinister about the Bush admin."

yup, they dig up that horse to beat on. When it was alive, beating on it raised their popularity. Now that the horse is dead, it doesn't seem to have the same impact that it used to.

Hey Look! Bush Administration! Bush Administration!

Doesn't work now like it used to.

Posted by: crosspatch   2009-07-25 04:04  

#1  I'm starting to notice a pattern here. Whenever Obama suffers some sort of negative press, the media, with no help from the Admin I'm sure..gg...releases something evil and sinister about the Bush admin. Last week it was al Queda assasinations, week before it was vast eavesdropping program, rinse repeat... It's been mentioned before but now it's really becoming obvious.
Posted by: NickVtx   2009-07-25 02:41  

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