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| Government |
| White House defends high bills for Africa trip - Washington Times |
| 2013-06-15 |
| The White House Friday defended the first family’s upcoming weeklong trip to Africa, which could cost taxpayers up to $100 million, as “great bang for our buck.” Once again, defending the undefendable. “There will be a great bang for our buck for being in Africa because when you travel to regions like Africa that don’t get a lot of presidential attention, you tend to have very longstanding and long-running impact from the visit,” said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to President Champ. The Champs’ trip, at a time of “sequestration” budget cuts, will take them to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa from June 26 to July 3. Citing a confidential planning document, the Washington Post reported that the trip will cost between $60 million to $100 million. The excursion will involve military cargo planes airlifting 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines, and three trucks to carry bulletproof glass panels to cover the windows where the first family is set to stay. A Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship with a fully staffed medical trauma center will be stationed offshore in case of an emergency. Fighter jets will fly in shifts to provide around-the-clock protection over the president’s airspace. The trip will reportedly involve hundreds of Secret Service agents. Long Street, here they come ! The president and FLOTUS also had planned to take a safari in Tanzania, which reportedly would have required a special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles in the event of a threat from wild animals. But the safari was canceled in favor of a trip to Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was held as a political prisoner. Watch out for the baboons. While on the Island, be sure to take in the Coastal Artillery site that the "racist, apartheid" government used to defend Allied shipping during WWII. At last count some 12,000 South Africans were killed fighting Axis powers during WWII. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #6 at a time of “sequestration” budget cuts...the trip will cost between $60 million to $100 million So that's why all the White House tours were cancelled. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-06-15 14:50 |
| #5 .... a VERY expensive family reunion.... |
| Posted by: Uncle Phester 2013-06-15 14:38 |
| #4 And for you NSA monitors out there - I meant that the idea of consuming the vice pres. would make the animals ill - not that they should actually eat the clown - he wouldn't even taste funny.... |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2013-06-15 13:35 |
| #3 Just use Joe "The Jungle" Biden. Then PETA will get all upset - using him as bait would sicken the animals...... even the vultures. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2013-06-15 13:05 |
| #2 The president and FLOTUS also had planned to take a safari in Tanzania, which reportedly would have required a special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles in the event of a threat from wild animals. Just use Joe "The Jungle" Biden. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2013-06-15 12:27 |
| #1 Yeah, sure - it's a business trip, not a vacation! After all, he might make a speech or sumpthin'. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2013-06-15 10:57 |