White House Apologizes for Photo Shoot

New York, NY —

The head of the White House Military Office has apologized for authorizing a photo shoot of Air Force One, and a fighter jet, near the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center site. Louis Caldera says, despite notification of local officials, the mission created, quote, "confusion and disruption." Mayor Bloomberg says he was furious to learn of the flyover, only as it was happening:

BLOOMBERG: It's the typical cover-your-rear kind of thing. I think the good news is it was nothing more than an ill-considered, badly conceived, insensitive photo op with the taxpayers' money.

He says the Federal Aviation Administration notified his administration, and the message was forwarded to the police department, but no one told him. The NYPD says the FAA told IT not to alert the public. Scores of New Yorkers in Lower Manhattan panicked, and fled their buildings, after seeing the low-flying planes.