He was close enough to whisper in his ear...
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/24/mccain-and-katrina-ravage_n_98470.html<snip>
John McCain toured still hurricane-damaged areas of New Orleans and declared that if the disaster had happened on his watch, he would have immediately landed his plane at the nearest Air Force base...
...McCain was unsparing in his criticism of the Bush administration. He said Congress must share some of the blame, too.
Drawing a sharp contrast to President Bush, McCain said he would have landed his plane "at the nearest Air Force Base and come over personally."
<snip>
But on the day Hurricane Katrina actually ravaged New Orleans, Senator McCain wasn't far off from President Bush. In fact, the two were standing right next to each other. Check out the slideshow of the two celebrating McCain's birthday on the tarmac.