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March 30, 2009
While We Carpool And Take The Bus To Work
To save money and such, our Dear Leader is going to London...with Five Hundred People
Britain will get its first chance to see Barack Obama this week when a White House cavalcade - complete with armoured limousines, helicopters, 200 US secret service staff and a six-doctor medical team - sweeps into the UK.Obama will fly into London for his first visit to the UK as president of the United States on Tuesday to take part in the G20 summit in the capital's Docklands area. He will not be travelling light.
More than 500 officials and staff will accompany the president on his tour this week - along with a mass of high-tech security equipment, including the $300,000 presidential limousine, known as The Beast. Fitted with night-vision camera, reinforced steel plating, tear- gas cannon and oxygen tanks, the vehicle is the ultimate in heavy armoured transport.
In addition, a team from the White House kitchen will travel with the president to prepare his food. As one official put it: "When the president travels, the White House travels with him, right down to the car he drives, the water he drinks, the gasoline he uses, the food he eats. America is still the sole superpower and the president must have the ability to handle any crisis, anywhere, any time."
That's one hell of a carbon footprint; hell, it's a full-fledged carbon body slam.
Look, I know he's the President and all that and needs to be protected yadayadayada...but 500 friggin' people?
Posted by Mr. Bingley at March 30, 2009 06:30 AM
Comments
Somebody has to be in the audience to clap enthusiastically and cover the awkward silences.
Posted by: tree hugging sister at March 30, 2009 06:55 AM
Someone in the comments at AoSHQ last night mentioned this and wondered what Bush's entourage was for his o'seas visits. It would be interesting to find out, but I have no idea where to look for that info.
Posted by: Eric at March 30, 2009 07:48 AM
I hope he remembers to take TOTUS.
Posted by: Retread at March 30, 2009 08:38 AM
(Raises hand)
Can I go too? I've been good.
Posted by: Julie at March 30, 2009 08:41 AM
Seems to me that he's trying to intentionally insult the UK again, by using the security standards one would normally reserve for some central African republic.
Posted by: Skyler at March 30, 2009 08:47 AM
I wonder how many DVDs are in the trunk.
Posted by: nightfly at March 30, 2009 09:38 AM
Skyler, I think you're right, especially considering this:
As one official put it: "When the president travels, the White House travels with him, right down to the car he drives, the water he drinks, the gasoline he uses, the food he eats. America is still the sole superpower and the president must have the ability to handle any crisis, anywhere, any time."
Logistically speaking, that's a nightmare, never mind the cost. I also can't see much improvement in security. I recall that the official vehicles go with the President, and no doubt other key equipment. But this much? If this level of support is a new wrinkle in presidential travel, I can only think it's a slam on the Brits.
Posted by: JeffS at March 30, 2009 09:42 AM
And if the "official vehicles" are American (i.e. left-side driver's side as you sit in the vehicle), wouldn't it be LESS safe on British roads designed for right-hand driver vehicles?
Or do they just close off all the roads the POTUS is likely to be on and tell the Brits: Oh, sorry, you have to find a different way to get to work/hospital/shopping/whatever that day.
I wonder if they hired someone to sort M and M colors for him, so he only got the ones he liked, too?
Posted by: ricki at March 30, 2009 10:05 AM
I saw a show about Air Force One a few weeks ago and some of the details will make you nuts. For instance, there are two AFOs, and both are probably going on this trip. That's standard security procedure and not new with The Won.
It does make me wonder how smart it is for a president to visit a disaster area. Besides taking rescue resources off the job that really needs doing, there is the cost of getting the president to and from the area.
Posted by: Retread at March 30, 2009 11:04 AM
Retread, I once witnessed, first hand, the logistical support for Bush 41. He landed in Spokane at Geiger Field (the National Guard base across from the commercial airport), and flew in choppers up to Colville to make a speech on logging policy (yes, he was running for re-election). That little hop closely resembled an air insertion by an infantry battalion. So, yeah, there's an element of truth here.
But bringing along water and gasoline? That strikes me as excessive; both can be procured locally, and fairly safely. Hauling gasoline around the world is no joke. And you can't haul enough drinking water, unless it's an emergency supply, just in case. And so on. Some of it's reasonable, most of it seems......odd.
But you are spot on about presidential visits to a disaster area.
Posted by: JeffS at March 30, 2009 01:21 PM
I hope he remembers to take TOTUS.
Posted by: Retread at March 30, 2009 08:38 AM
No worries there...he's taking 12 of them. (No joke!)
Posted by: Eric at March 30, 2009 03:22 PM