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. .
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." - Source
Ah, so this is the much vaunted change.
ReplyDeleteThe Obama's are waiving the normal $100,000 White House interior decoration allowance. They're paying for it themselves .... and saving the taxpayers $100,000. The security requirements for a U.S. President travelling is just a fact of life, and won't change regardless of whether s/he wants it to or not. It's the same with the Pope travelling. Today it costs a fortune to provide security for such a high profile figure.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what the entire carbon footprint of this trip will be? I'm shocked Al Gore was not assigned a Cabinet post to deal with that.
ReplyDeleteWell hon - you know what they say about big feet.
ReplyDeleteBut will the Beast work on English roads? Isn't the steering wheel on the wrong side. Or will the car be called Ye Beaste?
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