Bush’s last Air Force One trip is a family affair

NORFOLK, Va. – President
Bush on Saturday participated in the commissioning of an aircraft carrier named
after his father, taking his last scheduled trip aboard Air Force One.

The president was
joined by several members of the Bush clan, who had travelled to the Naval
Station Norfolk to get a glimpse at the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, which is named
after the 41st president.

{mosads}Aboard the vessel,
the last Nimitz-class nuclear carrier to be built, the president disembarked
from Marine One onto the flight deck with his wife, mother and the former
President Bush, who was walking with a cane.

The Bushes loaded
onto a golf cart, with the president behind the driver’s wheel, as reporters,
crew members and others looked on. To the surprise of the assembled reporters,
the platform the first family was on went straight down as they had been
positioned on an aircraft elevator.

During the
presentation, Bush praised his father, a naval aviator who fought in World War
II, and the members of the armed forces.

“People often ask
what I treasure most about being the president — nothing comes close to the
honor of being your commander in chief,” he told the crowd. “Every day I’m amazed
by the skill and courage of our men and women in uniform. And as we send the
U.S.S. George H.W. Bush into service, I know you will do credit to the sailors
who served before you and the good man for whom this ship is named.”

While in Norfolk,
the president, Vice President Cheney, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice attended a reception and met with Navy
SEALS afterward.

Bush’s short
flight to the ceremony will likely be his last on Air Force One as president.

When he boards
the same plane — or one from the fleet — to return to Midland, Texas on Jan.
20, it will no longer carry the famous call sign as he will be the former
president and only newly sworn-in President Obama will have the honor of flying
on an aircraft with that distinction.

White House press
secretary Dana Perino told reporters on board that she did not think it had “dawned”
on the president that this was his last voyage on Air Force One.

After returning to
Andrews Air Force base in Maryland, Bush met with the Presidential Airlift
Group, which is comprised of members of the Air Force assigned to the presidential
fleet.