In the aftermath of Monday's low-flying-plane scare, the question on so many minds was, "How could the White House and FAA not realize that their maneuver, so reminiscent of 9/11, wouldn't scare the shit out of New Yorkers?" Well, they actually did, according to an internal memo, which warned of "the possibility of public concern." But though they were aware of how people would react, caring was a completely different story. If they had wanted to actually prevent a mass panic, they would have allowed the few mid-level bureaucrats who were notified of the plans to tell everyone else that this was going to happen. We all probably would have meandered outside to gawk and clap and take photos. But they didn't; they demanded it be kept secret, for unknown and likely unsatisfying reasons. To add insult to injury, taxpayers had to shell out $328,835 for the photo shoot of Air Force One near the Statue of Liberty, which our own Everett Bogue could have Photoshopped in about four minutes.

THEY KNEW! [NYP]