1115.org

There was, apparently, some unnecessary confusion this morning in Washington, D.C. over a Coast Guard training exercise on the Potomac river near the Pentagon:

A Coast Guard training exercise in the Potomac River near the Pentagon sparked confusion amid Friday’s commemorations of the Sept. 11 anniversary. FBI agents scrambled to the scene and the nearest airport briefly grounded flights.

Coast Guard Chief Keith Moore said no shots were fired as part of the exercise. But live CNN news reports said the Coast Guard had fired 10 rounds at a suspicious boat in the river, and showed vessels circling in the water — near the bridge President Barack Obama’s motorcade crossed on the way to a memorial at the Pentagon Friday morning.

Departures from Reagan National Airport were halted as a precaution at 10:08 a.m., then resumed at 10:30 a.m., Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere said. The airport borders the Potomac.

A law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said federal agents scrambled to the river scene after the initial reports, because the local FBI office had not been told ahead of time about the Coast Guard exercise. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the incident.

The confusion was reminiscent of an event earlier this year in New York, when a presidential plane was flown low over the city for a photo shoot and some people feared the city was under attack.

It’s hard to fathom how it wouldn’t occur to the Coast Guard that they should alert all concerned if they plan to conduct a training exercise on September 11 near both the Pentagon and the route of President Obama’s motorcade.

But this prize piece of official spokesmanship may be even more unfathomable:

Coast Guard spokesman John Edwards said references to shots fired on the river Friday were picked up in radio chatter heard by CNN. As part of its exercise, the Coast Guard aired simulated instructions to participants to fire 10 rounds, Edwards said.

But there were no shots actually fired and no suspicious boats, Edwards said.

There were simulated instructions to fire 10 rounds? But no simulated firing (as in, the shooting of blanks) in response to those simulated instructions? So the Coast Guard radioed what purported to be a command to fire? With the understanding that it was only a simulated command, to be ignored?

Or were participants receiving the simulated instructions supposed to extend their hands, with index finger pointing forward and thumb pointing up, and go “Bang!” ten times? After which everyone would adjourn for high fives, ice-cream, jello and cake?

***Update, 3:43 pm ***

More unfortunate spokesmanship. The official White House comment on the incident offers unfortunate echoes of the Bush administration mantra that anything done in the name of National Security should never be questioned:

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs defended the Coast Guard’s decision to train in the Potomac on the Sept. 11 anniversary.

“I tend not to question law enforcement in keeping the nation’s capital safe,” he said. “If they feel they need a training exercise, best not to second-guess.”

Are we still not mature enough as a nation to just call a bad decision a bad decision, even if it is taken in good faith and in the name of keeping us safe?