George Bush and the First Person Possessive

[snopes]

There's a famous, possibly apocryphal story about Lyndon Johnson visiting Vietnam during his presidency. On a carrier flight deck, he started striding toward a helicopter when a Navy officer said to him, "No, Mr. President, your helicopter is this way."

LBJ looked him in the eye and said, "Son, they're ALL my helicopters."

A similar story on a slightly smaller scale made the rounds of Washington during the early days of the current presidency. It was in April 2001, after China seized and then released a U.S. Navy EP-3 surveillance aircraft. During a medical appointment, the doctor asked George W. Bush what had been the most difficult part of his presidency so far. He replied, "When the Chinese took my airplane."

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/1084

Originally Posted by snopes

During a medical appointment, the doctor asked George W. Bush what had been the most difficult part of his presidency so far. He replied, "When the Chinese took my airplane."

Far be it from me to defend W, but, so what? I call the place I bartend "my bar" all the time. It's not mine, it's Ruby Tuesday's, but it's something I'm responsible for as a part of my job. As commander-in-chief of the armed forces, a naval aircraft would be something that falls under his responsibility. I think it's perfectly acceptable for him to say "my airplane" in this case.

(Man, that took a lot out of me. Defending W? My fingers will never be clean again....)

[Ryda Wong, EBfCo.]

I think it was more the "my" government (they mentioned it later in the article) that got me.