What Was He Thinking?

Perhaps I'm a little sensitive about these things because I happened to be 2-blocks away when the attacks took place on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. But what the hell was the Government thinking when they authorized a plane that is from time to time used to carry the President to buzz ground zero the other day while insisting that the public be kept in the dark?

I get it. The function of the President is mainly symbolic. The concept of the presidency is the closest thing we have in this country to royalty and for whatever reason this country is enamored with the idea of Presidential celebrity. We may be independent of Britain, but we still share a common institutional DNA. For better or for worse, we may not label it as such, but here in America, we love our royalty.

In the past month our President has made conciliatory gestures towards Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez and King Abdullah. His advisors must be screaming in their sleep. I can envision it now: "Must....not....show....weakness...Immediate action is necessary!" And suddenly a great idea occurs, (at least to those from Chicago who didn't deal with the consequences of the 9/11/01 attacks first hand) 'Let's stage a photo op of Air Force One flying over the Statue of Liberty and the site of the former World Trade Center, all for the bargain basement cost of $328,835 according to Bloomberg News. The Presidency is restored...Hallelujah!'

In order to add mystique it is necessary to keep the operation top-secret. After all, anything is more important when it's called a secret. 'OK', they thought, ' we will tell a low-level operative, but under instructions not to inform the public, that way we can say that we publicized the event but it will still be kept quiet. After all the person we tell will listen because he is afraid to lose his job, and even if he might question the judgment of the directive, he will feel important and that will keep him loyal to the military directive.'

So it happens. The Mayor doesn't know...the governor doesn't know. And predictably there is panic in the streets. 9/11 is still raw in New York...believe me.

President Obama did not get the result he expected, at least not here. Now the Damage Control team is on the scene: A statement is crafted: "It was a mistake” said Obama, “it will not happen again.” Plausible deniability? Call me a cynic but this administration is based on the personality of Obama. I find it very hard to believe that anything gets by without, at least, his chief advisors being notified. Furthermore this is from a president that has made transparency a keystone of the administation.

Everyone is entitled to mistakes. I don't believe that Obama, or his advisors were being malicious. But since the President and many of his advisors are from Chicago, where the Sears Tower still stands upright, perhaps the administration didn't realize how touchy New Yorkers are about low-flying planes.

What's done is done. The President got his photo-op. But it's time for real work to take place, work separating the tangible from the ethereal. There is a sense that President Obama is different, and not just because of his race. That's not going to last if he relies on photo-ops and symbolism. People are aching for a Presidency that gets results. People want a restored economy, a controlled healthcare system. An effective educational system. A freer and safer world. If any of that occurs, even to any verifiable degree, photo-ops won't be necessary to prove the strength of the President.