MH 17 VS. KAL 007— OBAMA VS. REAGAN

MH 17 VS. KAL 007— OBAMA VS. REAGAN

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This generation has its KAL 007. The stunning downing of Malaysian flight 17 is strikingly similar to the shock of September 1, Protected content , when the Russians downed a Korean passenger airliner, flight 007, which had left New York City for Seoul via Alaska. In both cases, the Russian government vehemently denied any involvement, disparaging anyone who dared to accuse it of prior knowledge.

Both planes were Asian with similar numbers of dead. KAL had Protected content the Malaysian flight nearly 300. They were mostly Asian passengers but also Americans—61 Americans in KAL Protected content a much smaller (still unconfirmed) number in the Malaysian flight. In both cases, questions arise over why the planes were flying where they were flying. Exactly what happened with KAL still isn’t entirely clear, but it seems the computer on the plane’s guidance system was set incorrectly, allowing it to stray into Soviet airspace. Russia fighter planes stalked KAL Protected content blasting it out of the sky.

In Protected content , Moscow initially denied the dirty deed, with Yuri Andropov, Vladimir Putin’s former boss at the KGB, insisting on the Kremlin’s innocence. The denials were shattered when the Reagan administration produced audio of the two Russian pilots communicating as they excitedly shot the plane. The audio was secured via the National Security Agency’s exceptional electronic surveillance technology.

What is the difference between Leadership then, and leadership now?