Now THAT'S Some Designated Driver!

Before reading this, ask yourself: What if instead of Jenna and Barbara Bush, this article was about Chelsea Clinton? How would the media respond?



The Palm Beach Post reports today that a scheduled U.S. Airways flight between Boston and Washington, DC, was diverted to Albany, NY so that the daughters of the current occupant of the White House could be picked up when their own flight out of Albany was cancelled.



"A representative for US Airways said the decision to divert the plane had nothing to do with the Bush twins. In fact, the representative said US Airways often diverts planes for such problems, but could not provide an exact number when asked."



Perhaps because it isn't done?



Have any of you ever been stranded at an airport for hours or overnight because your flight was cancelled and you had to wait for an opening on another flight? Have any of you ever been told that another flight was being diverted to pick you up?



I thought not.



I'm not trying to harp on the Bush daughters unduly; not even I think that they have the power to divert scheduled flights for their own needs. But their father does, and this further points to the kind of privilege the Bush family thinks it is owed by both industry and the public.



But MORE important is the fact of US Airways' announcement that it may default on the terms of a U.S. loan guarantee this quarter.



A Bloomberg News feed reprinted in this morning's Chicago Tribune reports that:



"US Airways 'anticipates risk of failing to comply' with requirements for the $900 million guarantee as of Sept. 30, according to a filing at the Securities and Exchange Commission. The government board that backed the guarantee could then demand repayment, the filing said."



I wonder if US Airways will be granted some leeway on making this loan payment, now that they have served as emergency taxi service for the president's daughters.