Who Cleans Bo’s Number Two On Air Force One?
By Elizabeth Williamson
Oct. 7, 2009
The mystery begins in a Pittsburgh bar where several high-flying airline types met last month.
The group swapped stories over drinks when three people present let loose with a good tale. Bo, the presidential puppy, recently left a present on the presidential jet, they said, and a flight attendant had nearly stepped in it.
“You can imagine the horror on board when they discovered what it had done,” a participant in the conversation said, referring to Bo.
Reports of other puppy-like behavior support the story. At least two reporters spotted Bo running loose aboard Air Force One this summer. News stories say he chews socks, magazines and the presidential sneakers. In an NBC television interview around the time of the alleged accident, President Barack Obama said Bo has chosen notable venues in the past.
“We go out and we’re walking and I’m picking up poop, and in the background is the beautifully lit White House,” the president said. “It’s quite a moment.”
A White House press official was certain—the scoop on the poop was a crock. The press office checked with the Air Force One flight crew who said Bo had not desecrated the jet.
Other big news beckoned: the health-care overhaul, rising unemployment and a debate over the war in Afghanistan.
But we were nagged by a question—was the pile denial a White House cover up?
The source of the story refused to recant. A press officer for the 89th Airlift Wing, which includes Air Force One, had no comment. A government airline carpet contractor didn’t return calls.
Then a new source emerged: Herb McConnell, former public affairs officer for Andrews Air Force Base, home of Air Force One. McConnell thought the story was “funny,” “logical,” and “not as bad as some I’ve heard.”
According to McConnell, he checked with two contacts in the 89th Airlift Wing. Both separately confirmed Bo’s youthful indiscretion, although neither of them would speak directly with Washington Wire.
“Of course the dog accident on Air Force One happened,” McConnell contends. But the 89th won’t go public with it, he said, because it is strict Air Force policy not to discuss passengers’ activities.
The White House stands by its denial. And Bo isn’t talking.
Source: Wall Street Journal
Editor’s Note: Bo, the Obama family dog, walks away from Air Force One Aug. 30, 2009, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., upon the Obamas’ arrival from a vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. (AP Photo/ Alex Brandon. Daniel Michaels contributed to this post.
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