Mechanical Problems Ground Air Force One

(CBS/AP)  The Boeing 747 used by the president as Air Force One was grounded in Ho Chi Minh City Sunday because of a mechanical problem, CBS News correspondent Peter Maer reports. The issue was discovered while the airplane was still on the ground in Vietnam and before President George W. Bush was onboard.

President Bush will continue his Asian trip, flying from Vietnam to Indonesia on a "back-up" Boeing 757, Maer reports. Many members of the White House support staff will shift to the White House press charter, a United Airlines 747.

The White House has not confirmed the nature of the problem with the jet. The U.S. Air Force hopes to repair the problem in time for the president to fly from Indonesia to the next scheduled stop, Hawaii, later on Monday.

If the 747 is not repaired in time, Mr. Bush's "back-up" plane will have to make multiple refueling stops because of the 757's more limited range.

Wrapping up three days in Vietnam, Mr. Bush was taking a quick look around Ho Chi Minh City - once known as Saigon. He planned to drop by the stock exchange, meet with business leaders and visit the Pasteur Institute for a briefing on its research on HIV/AIDs and other public health problems.

The president was in Vietnam for the 21-nation Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Hanoi.

Mr. Bush was to spend just six hours at his next stop in Indonesia, most of it at Bogor Palace, a presidential retreat outside the capital of Jakarta and far from the scene of protests Sunday where Bush was denounced as a "war criminal' and "terrorist."

While President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is a close U.S. ally in the war on terror, Bush is highly unpopular in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation.

The White House said it was confident about security precautions for Bush's visit Monday despite police warnings of an increased threat of attack by al Qaeda-linked groups.

[gramto7]

ddkem
What is wrong with wishing Duhbya having to put up with things us mere mortals have to put up with? If he had to wait even 1/100 as long as some of the Katrina folks have waited for their homes to be repaired, or for their insurance companies to pay them, he might get his act together and start thinking about real AMERICANS for a change. This is as opposed to his cronies, the rich and famous and the big corporations.

could not have happened to a nicer guy

[ddkem]

FeelFree1 - that comment is just plain wrong. Geez!

[feelfree1]

Here is hoping that there is a lengthy backorder on the faulty part.