MIKE DEAVER LIVES

Bush to declare an end to the war (The Age, May 2 2003)

An aircraft carrier hosts a presidential event. Anne Kornblut reports from Washington.

After a dramatic landing on a moving aircraft carrier, President George Bush will today make a national address from the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln, an event carefully choreographed to mark the success of the US military operation in Iraq. [...]

In a rare departure from his usual day-trips, Mr Bush will spend the night on board with the sailors while the USS Abraham Lincoln is still kilometres off the California coast.

He will then leave on a helicopter and travel to northern California to give a speech about the economy before flying to his Texas ranch to meet Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

The made-for-television moment, against a backdrop of cheering sailors, is part of an event packed with photo opportunities that political strategists suspect will be transformed into election campaign advertising in 2004.

The decision to give the speech on the aircraft carrier came after an internal White House debate on whether it should be delivered before Congress or outside Washington.

Republicans saw political advantage in the way the White House finally decided to do it. The White House has asked US television networks to carry the speech live.

Officials said they decided to fly Mr Bush to the ship on a small plane because it would be too far away for a helicopter - about 200 kilometres from shore. Mr Bush, they said, had pushed for the trip, exercising his right as commander-in-chief to use some of the military's finest tools.

Some of the arrangements for the trip - especially the cable-assisted landing on the aircraft carrier's deck - are enough to traumatise the secret service agents responsible for the President's safety.

CNN is even referring to the President as the "co-pilot" on the plane. Hard to believe this isn't meant to remind folks of Mr. Bush's own military experience--a sure sign they think Kerry's the man. This is all a bit excessive, but we'd certainly rather have him use his power and perks for good, clean, Boys Own fun than use it to seduce interns, right?

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Posted by Orrin Judd at May 1, 2003 1:50 PM