As a rule of thumb, an incumbent president's campaign is expected to reimburse the government the cost of a first class commercial airline ticket for each person riding Air Force One to or from a political event, campaign finance experts say. But that amount doesn't come close to covering the proportional operating cost of Air Force One, or the army of Secret Service agents, White House advance teams, the fleet of Air Force cargo planes transporting the presidential motorcade or the helicopters… (abcnews.go.com) More...
Time to downsize air force one? he'll be just fine in a citation for domestic travel. Use the 747 for international and emergency travel only. it will never happen but funny to think about. air force one and air force 1/2
The big deal is not that he is using Air Force One, it is because it makes him such a hypocrite. He has criticized and attacked general aviation and its users since day one of his administration, but he has no problem with using aviation for his own use.
Can't we all just get along? That's all I'm saying....okay,it's not. It just boils my blood every time I hear that either one (wall-eye or big ears)is going anywhere at OUR expense!
Does the president (Obama or any other president) ask for this service?? NO! It is part of being the President of the USA. It is part of having the big seat in an office that holds the most power in the free world. Not to sure why everyone picks on the guy for flying on Air Force 1. I don't think he really (realistically guys, i am not looking for wise cracks) has any other choice. Yes, yes, he may not be practicing what he preaches, but what politician does? I doubt the guy will get the big seat again, so lets just put up with him for what, another year?
Glad this actually popped up today as I have a somewhat related question. Yesterday the VP flew into KMHT which I work right next to. What caught my eye was that there was BOTH a 737 and 757 (along with the transport) parked on the ramp to support his trip. Why does he need two planes!? This is not a political question but an operational one. I would ask the same thing reguardless of who was in office.
That bill is chump change to protect the president. Riding with the president ain't all that great in the press corral. Your agency pays for a first class ticket, your luggage is severely limited, they charge you for the pink box lunch, and most of the time you never see the president enroute. The seats are coach style too, just not as close together as coach is today. You need to arrive hours before the flight so when the president arrives he can be tucked in and taxi out in seconds.
Remember people if the President DID fly on commercial, ordinary airlines they would have to lock down the ENTIRE airport 2 days before the President even showed up. I don't thing the airports, airlines and OR your Grandmother would like that.
You know, my friend, it is sad that we just beat a dead horse. This same subject came up right here in FA about 3 months ago. Several, including myself, made basically the same point as you have, yet memories are so short or people are just to lazy to try and learn or understand the law of the land and the ways of the world that goes on around them, and when they find out something like this, they are amazed to find out there is something they did not know. They operate on the premise that if they don't know it, it doesn't exist. AND MOST OF THESES TYPES WILL VOTE & BREED & REPRODUCE. Lord help us all.
Alistair it always amases me how people in the USA are so ignorant of what goes on in the world between WA and Taiwan. I can tell you that the Obama admin is the first since WW2 to get the French to mobilise what is agruably the best military airforce in Europe. Ahahah it really is a joke!
Actually your point is illustrating...wherever AF1 goes a back up is available although not necessarily visible. On his little jaunt to Miami and Orlando, a couple of C-17s would have delivered a Presidental armoured car to each location and the Secret Service would have had an advance team in each community weeks ahead of time. There may or may not have been a "Marine One" available at each location.
The big cost is not necessarily those of AF1 but all the other acoutriments the SS feel are necessary for each excusion. Likewise when Mooch or Bo travel separately the cost of the plane is not necessarily the big expense to the taxpayer compared to the other security and arrangements personnel.
Yea the French could probably annihilate say, Greece ! Lol. If the voters of the USA educated themselves just a bit we would probably have a different set of faces in DC. I mean all the faces. Might even have a government interested in its own people. But since most people don't even vote we are now reaping the rewards of a dysfunctional government who jumps from one world mess to another ( fixing nothing) all the while allowing our country to evolve into something different than what the founding fathers envisioned in the constitution. But They are much smarter and better educated than those old geeks so I'm just sure that they have all the the answers and just haven't shared with us plebeians yet.
