One?
The Photo: Below - Two Versions, One "high-res"

Updates: 05/09/09 and 10, below:

That's it? . . . One unclassified photo?

Update: 05/09/09: Very late yesterday afternoon, Friday, May 8, 2009, the White House released a very limited "internal review" (ht. ABC coverage) attributed to the White House Counsel's Office about White House involvement in the scary flight incident, addressing "the facts and circumstances that led to the flyover of New York city on April 27, 2009." The memo states that the Deputy Director of the WHMO claimed to have notified Caldera on three occasions, twice verbally and one by e-mail, about the details of the flight, and suggesting that Caldera might want to run it past Deputy chief of Staff, Jim Messina, and Press aide, Robert Gibbs.

With respect to Director Caldera's actions, it then states, "Ultimately, the Director did not notify Messrs. Messina or Gibbs about the flyover."

The unsigned memo also goes on to address what were identified therein as perceived ambiguities in the reporting structure of the White House Military Office, and makes the suggestion that "structural and organizational ambiguities exist" therein, that can affect that "organization's ability to operate effectively."

The unsigned internal memo was dated May 5, 2009, three days prior to it's release.

Should we assume it was the White House version of a "per curium opinion" on the topic?

If so, that would not only make it unsigned, and therefore unattributable to any one person, but would also make it the agreed upon position of the White House.

Gee, the White House had previously said that Deputy chief of Staff, Jim Messina would be conducting that internal review, not some unidentified member of the Counsel's Office.

Where are the results of Messina's investigation?

ABC's Jake Tapper and Megam Chuchmach have posted about the resignation of the Director of the White House Military Office, Lou Caldera over the incident for which he had previously apologized.

And, in addition, the White House also released only ONE photo, obviously one taken from the accompanying F-16.

Here it is . . . the one photo.

So . . . where are the photo(s) taken from inside Air Force One during that flight?

Free Republic has held a funny "photoshop" contest of the incident, which is now up to about 600 pages long!

Finally, the Washington Post reports, per Scott Wilson, that the official estimated cost of the incident has now risen to $357,000, based on a letter from Sec. Defense Robert Gates to Senator John McCain in response to a McCain inquiry.

Below is the official "high resolution" version, from the White House site, here. Click on the photo to expand it to full size. It is also obviously an "uncropped" and "un-brightened" version, like the one above was.

That is a portion of Hudson and Essex counties in New Jersey in the background, including Liberty Park and Jersey City. In the upper left-hand corner, you can see the distinctive Newark Bay Bridge (officially the Vincent R. Casciano Memorial Bridge), and the railroad bridge just above it, connecting the cities of Newark and Bayonne via I-78 crossing Newark Bay. Above the cockpit are connectors like the General Pulaski Skyway, Routes 1 & 9, crossing the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers connecting Newark and Jersey City, and leading to the Holland Tunnel. Harrison and Kearney are in the background. Also visible are the NJ Turnpike connectors, eventually leading to the Bergen county area of New Jersey, I-80, and the George Washington Bridge.

The New York areas of Governor's Island, Brooklyn and the lower tip of Manhattan would have been quite clearly visible from the port windows you can see on that right side of Air Force One.

White House: Flight Photos NOT To Be Released

The Obama White House has officially refused to release the "photos" they said were the reason for the low-level flight of Air Force One around the New York harbor area, including over the area of Jersey City in New Jersey, forcing panic among many residents, and office workers as well.

As was reported in today's New York Post:

"We have no plans to release them," an aide to President Obama told The Post, refusing to comment further.

The sole purpose of the secret photo-op, which sent thousands of New Yorkers running for cover, was to take new publicity shots of the presidential jet over the city.

"The photos . . . are classified -- that's ridiculous," Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., said.

The photos have not technically been "classified," a White House aide said, but they are being kept from public view.

They are not classified, and yet the White House still refuses to release them? And they refuse to answer any more questions about it?

The whole story has been shrouded in secrecy from the beginning, even to the point of local officials being threatened with retaliation, if they let it out!

It is getting more and more suspicious.

Ask yourself this -- Who in their right mind would arrange for a large passenger jet and two F-16 Fighters, to fly up to the New York harbor area, circle around the Statue of Liberty area at a low altitude with one of two F-16's tailing the large jet, just to "update" a few file photos -- and unclassified photos at that?

That story is simply absurd on it's face. Especially in a post-9/11 world!

So, the question becomes, what really occurred because that story simply does not hold water.

I can think of two possible general reasons for failing to release the unclassified photos:

1. There are no photos, making the "cover" story a flat-out lie, or,

2. Many or most of whatever "official" photos were taken, were of what was going on inside the plane, and as a result would show exactly who was on board.

As for that second possibility, consider this . . . perhaps the passengers were a group of Obama supporters and/or contributors, who were being politically rewarded for their help in the campaign.

Lots of seats, no? Like the Clinton era Lincoln's Bedroom sleepovers, but on steroids. How many people can stay over in the Lincoln Bedroom? How many people can board Air Force One? Hmmmm . . . .

Who knows? In that case, I'd guess they probably took some pictures of their own as well!

The latter is a very logical possibility, because it would explain all the facts as we know them so far, including:

a. the extreme demand for secrecy in advance;

b. the lack of any coherent public explanation as to why the flight was taken in the first place;

c. consistent a little bit with the "cover story," because there indeed would have been some "file" photos taken of the occasion, ones that the White House would definitely NOT want to get out;

d. their adamant refusal to release any of the photos, even though they admit they are not classified;

e. the refusal of the White House to entertain any further questions about it, clearly indicating they have something very embarrassing to hide, and,

f. it would also explain why they strangely went out of their way at first to point out that it was not "officially" Air Force One . . . but a "back-up," and that it is only AF-1 when the President is on board, thus "minimizing" the PR problem, should it come out!

The fact is that they have gone silent, leaving the public to guess. Have you got a better possible explanation? We'd love to hear it. Feel free to comment.