This is the most ridiculous excuse I have ever heard. If you wanted to take pictures of Air Force One, maybe you should have chosen a different place take them, like the Atlantic Ocean, or maybe the Grand Canyon. Oh...and having a F-16 tailing it closely while it was flying low, and not letting the mayor or the people know about it, was brilliant. I am sure that the "backup" Air Force One looks just as nice on the runway as it does in the sky. Maybe even better than the primary one. I hope they snapped some nice pictures! On a final note, this flight cost the taxpayers $350,000 dollars. It makes you wonder what that meeting was like when this decision was made:
Government Official 1 - "We really need to take pictures of the backup Air Force One.....while it is in the air, not on the ground.".
Government Official 2 - "I know! We need to get that done A.S.A.P! It's a priority! We can worry about the economy and Mexico and the Swine Flu tomorrow.".
Government Official 1 - "Let's do it then! We can even have a F-16 follow it closely, it in order to make the pictures look more exciting! The backup Air Force One is way bigger than a F-16!".
Government Official 2 - "Sounds great! But where should we have them fly over in order to get the best shots?".
Government Offical 1 - "Hmm.....N.Y.C. sure looks like a good place to fly over these days. We can even fly past Ground Zero. Maybe we can even get some shots of them flying past the Statue of Liberty! Really low!".
Government Official 2 - "Yey! But let's keep this on the down-low. We'll just tell the FAA. No one will notice.".
Government Offical 1 - "That's cool...but don't you think that we should tell the President of the United States that we're taking his secondary pimped-out plane for a joyride?".
Government Official 2 - "Nah, he has the original one. I'm sure he won't need the backup AF1 today.".
