Fly-Over Country

It appears the president made a trip to the Gulf, after all. In Air Force One.

President Bush Wednesday viewed the disaster area hit by Hurricane Katrina from aboard Air Force One as he traveled to Washington from his ranch in Crawford, Texas, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
As the president passed over one Mississippi town, he remarked, "It's totally wiped out."

The president spent 35 minutes looking out the window as the aircraft passed over Louisiana and Mississippi and clearly saw the damaged roof of the New Orleans Superdome and the city's flooded neighborhoods.

Air Force One flew about 2,500 feet over New Orleans and about 1,700 feet over Mississippi, which suffered severe damage from the storm, according to The Associated Press.

"It's devastating. It's got to be doubly devastating on the ground," Bush said.

Doubly devastating? Ain't that an all-or-nothing concept?