Obama had been chartering a North American Airlines charter 757 through the primary season for his campaign plane. About a month ago that plane went into the shop to be refurbished and repainted after Obama won the nomination and he briefly used an American Airlines MD80. So, WND is correct in one sense, that the very same plane has been alterred to have the flag removed.
The problem is, Obama didn't put the flag there in the first place. Here's another NAA aircraft, a Boeing 767 (not Obama's plane):
There's the same flag. Now, here's the former Obama jet:
Here it is now, after the upgrade:
By the way, here's McCain's plane:
See any flags? (SEE UPDATE BELOW)
After the campaign Obama's plane will undoubtedly return to normal livery and service, with the flag re-added. There is no story here.
However, Obama can only blame himself for people thinking he'd remove a flag from his campaign jet before an important Middle Eastern tour after what we saw with the flag pin/national anthem flap and his friendliness with a flag-stomping domestic terrorist named William Ayers.
But the right wing needs to be careful lest they be labeled a bunch of yahoo reactionaries, knee-jerking to every little story. Once labeled it could act to diminish further legitimate bashing (and there's much to bash).
UPDATE 7/22/08
The McCain photo above might be photo-shopped, as mentioned by a commenter. There are very few pictures available on the net showing his aircraft, other than a Jet Blue A320. The photo above looks strikingly similar to the Airbus corporate livery. So, if the commenter provides a link or image, I'll post, but I am assuming it's a fake for now. It doesn't change the overall storyline, though, but an apology will follow if I'm wrong about McCain's display of the flag.
FLAG DAY 7/25/08
Commenter Mataharley has located the McCain plane and the aforementioned flag. This proves the posted pic was almost surely a photo-shop, and I apologize for posting without definitive proof it was really McCain's. Now, perhaps we can all move on?
3 comments:
HAd to comment on this. I am a corporate pilot. We were parked near McCain's plane last Friday. It was a 737 and had a flag on the front of the fuselage. I am guessing you have a photoshopped pic. I have pics if you would like.
No photoshopping captain, unless the picture I grabbed off google was 'shopped. And I would be happy to post your picture if you send to my email. I am NOT, repeat, NOT an Obama supporter.
Here's the deal--Obama did not do anything wrong here. I'd be all over him if it looked like he deliberately removed the flag, but you can't remove something you didn't place.
McCain supporters are up against a wall, fighting against a dominant liberal media establishment that thinks Obama walks on water and doesn't poop. The more knee-jerking we do over nothing, the more they can paint us as the bitter clinging hicks Obama says we already are.
The pilot is correct, AC McCloud
Please see the June 30th, 2008 story about the launch of the Straight Talk Express campaign jet, and photos here. THe flag is prominently displayed at the fuselage rear on each side.
If the pilot saw an Old Glory at the front of the fuselage, it's quite possible the flag is on both the front and rear on each side. However the stairs in the photo hide any flag that may appear on the front of the fuselage.
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