Coast Guard Pulls Boneheaded Drill On 9/11

In what turned out to be nothing more than a routine drill, CNN reported that shots were fired on the Potomac River closest to the point near the Pentagon where the President was laying a wreath to commemorate those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

[AP] Unaware that it was an exercise, CNN opened its reporting on the incident by saying at least one boat was intruding in a security zone on the river and the Coast Guard was chasing it.

Even the Coast Guard was confused about what the Coast Guard was doing.

After the erroneous reports surfaced and flights were grounded, at 10:12 a.m., the Coast Guard ordered one of its helicopters based at Reagan National Airport scrambled to fly over the river to investigate the reports of shots on the Potomac, Coast Guard spokesman Ron LaBrec said.

The Coast Guard began the drill at 9:30 a.m., five minutes after Obama arrived at the Pentagon for ceremonies keyed to 9:37 a.m. — the time of the 9/11 attack. Other agencies were not widely notified of the drill because the Coast Guard considered the exercise routine.

CNN reported the alleged attack after hearing radio chatter of someone saying "bang, bang, bang, bang" and "we have expended 10 rounds". CNN should check some actual facts before hyperventilating on the air.

On the other hand, the Coast Guard should get its head out of its collective rear. How dumb is holding an exercise on 9/11 and within a mile of the President at a public ceremony? Everyone is on edge on this infamous anniversary. This is just as boneheaded as the Air Force One flyover of Ground Zero in New York earlier this year.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

WBN awards this Blynken Raspberry to the Coast Guard for epic stupidity.