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Air Obama

July 20, 2008 9:18 PM

With his trademark big red and blue "O" festooned on the tail wing, Sen. Barack Obama's newly retrofitted and re-designed general election plane was unveiled today after receiving a makeover from its shabbier primary season look.

The redone 757 North American plane also has Obama's "CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN" slogan painted along both sides of the plane, as well as the Web address for his campaign.

Obama’s new plane has 104 total seats, with a new front area of the plane for Obama and his staff, separated by a curtain. Tables for meetings are in the front section for staff.

The Obama express makes its maiden voyage from Chicago to Shannon, Clare, Ireland, to refuel -- and then continues on to Amman, Jordan.

The only thing the new plane doesn’t have yet?

A candidate.

Thirty-eight members of the national press made the maiden voyage sans Senator Obama, who will link with the press corps after his congressional delegation trip to Afghanistan and Iraq.

Thirty-one others are on this maiden flight, including Obama senior foreign policy advisors James Steinberg, Richard Danzig, Denis McDonough and Wendy Morigi, and communications staffers Robert Gibbs and Linda Douglass. Obama's "body man" Reggie Love is also up front.

The plane's new design partitions the press from the candidate and his staff with a new physical barrier. The new Obama staff section has new wider business class seats replacing the smaller coach-sized ones in the rest of the plane.

- Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller

July 20, 2008 in Obama, Barack | Permalink | Share | User Comments (102)

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A legend in his own mind! Arrogance and narcissism to the enth degree!

Posted by: Beckie | Jul 21, 2008 8:10:12 PM

Obama is a con and high on himself - and those supporting him have been duped by his cult of personality.

"I serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views." - Obama, The Audacity of Hope

Posted by: JoseyJ | Jul 21, 2008 6:28:31 PM

The Washington establishment and Dem Party fixed the primary for Obama - and the DNC won't get another dime from this Dem family!
Everytime Hillary would win a crucial state by 20 or 30 or 40 points - on cue, the superdelegates would roll out for Oblahma!

Obama's positions on various issues aren't really important because he's a con and a cash cow for the corporate media and Dem Party that concealed damaging info about him through most of the primaries.

NObama!

Obama/Wright08

Posted by: Josey | Jul 21, 2008 6:23:17 PM

I heard he painted over the American Flag and replaced it with that big "Zero" logo.

Posted by: bromfield22 | Jul 21, 2008 6:18:06 PM

It won't be long before Congress renames the U.S. - the Obama States of America.

Obama's continued arrogance and hubris is yet another reason for this Dem family to vote for McCain!

Dems for McCain!

Posted by: JoseyJ | Jul 21, 2008 6:17:54 PM

Does the new Air Obama run on solar power? Can someone please report on how much jet fuel the campaign is using en route to rallies lecturing energy reform?

It's as bad as Al Gore finishing his speech last week...then climbing into his caravan of SUV's and Lincolns. I'm not asking for him to use a fleet of Priuses. But c'mon. At least a token hybrid Tahoe or something.


Obama can just as easily read his teleprompters and beam the footage across the country without firing up Air Obama! LOL

Posted by: FishMonger | Jul 21, 2008 5:45:38 PM

What will Obama do without Tele-prompters? Or will he have them for every public speech he makes? (Am I the only person who has noticed that he constantly looks form left to right and back again, never straight ahead, lest he flub a line?)

"Change" I can believe in has substance behind the impassioned oratorical skills, and comes form deep within a candidate who cares about the welfare of his country, the world, and is passionate about making a difference -- and has the concrete plans to make this world a better place.

I DO NOT believe in arrogance so deep and vast that the candidate will stop at virtually nothing to get himself elected. Obama is devoid of substance, NEVER created substantive "change" as an IL state Senator, and began campaigning for the White House a few months election to the U.S. Senate.

I did not initially support Sen. Clinton, am a well-educated, upper-middle-class man, not a racist -- so I don't fit the Media's profile of a Clinton voter, yet I watched with increasing disgust as Obama's team played the race card when the president most sensitive than all others in our history to the needs of African-Americans was quoted out of context and accused of being a racist. He wasn't even running, his wife was.

Every time Sen. Clinton won another primary -- after being urged to drop out (something that's never happened before), she would lose more super delegates. When she won a true swing state, West Virginia, by 41 point, she didn't make the news, people didn't even know the magnitude of her victory. Instead, John Edwards, who had vowed not to endorse, was covered live by all the networks endorsing Obama.

Obama is treated like a deity or a cult leader -- that scares me. Nobody is asking him the tough questions; when you're in the Oval Office, it's not a game anymore.

I'm a life-long Democrat. This should have been our election to lose. Because the Democratic Party has disenfranchised over 18 million people, and chosen as its leader somebody who isn't fit to govern, Obama won't be receiving my vote in November.

Posted by: Steve | Jul 21, 2008 4:35:10 PM

Spock you got it backwards it's W who wanted no time table and its mcsame who wants bases. Now it appears that the repubs are doing there typical campain stuff and just saying they did something good when in reality they haven't. You can throw in that untill they are ready but what is mcsame offering? Continued war in Iraq thats what! bases and occupation he's said it over and over and hasn't thrown in the utill they are ready. 100 years ring a bell. Trying to connect Obama to Bush is an act of desperation! And even Bush is better than Mcsame.

Obama 08!!!

Posted by: Joe | Jul 21, 2008 2:47:31 PM

Obama's superficial trip to Europe only enhances his ignorance of World Affairs.

He is only good for a speech, like a cheerleader....rah rah uh uh....go U.S.A.

And like the American Idol Candidate that he is, without the scripts, without the promoters, Obama is a shell of a Candidate....Axelrod is Obama's Simon Fuller.....

This Phony, Fool, Obama should not be the leader of our country.....

Posted by: carpenter.nyc | Jul 21, 2008 1:42:18 PM

it's not a big O on the plane, its a ZERO, and it reflects Baracks values.

Posted by: trettione | Jul 21, 2008 1:29:52 PM

Lets see Obama agress with Pres. Bush, know and leaving it up to the Iraqi Government to see if they are ready. Remember Pres. Bush stated that we will not stay in Iraq if they ask us to leave when they are stable.

So Pres. Bush's plan worked, and Obama is Flopping onto those coat tails!!

Posted by: spock | Jul 21, 2008 1:22:38 PM

-put Hillary in-

we will never surrender. on to denver, then november.

Posted by: iron my shirt | Jul 21, 2008 1:21:48 PM

You guys see soul plane? That would be cool if air force one was like that.

Posted by: Joe | Jul 21, 2008 1:17:49 PM

Does anybody really need MORE copies of the forgettable canned commentary of "Dr. Larry Hunter: Lifelong Conservative Republican Economist", whoever HE may be??

We GET it that Republicans have a crush on the fading "post-partisan" one -- it's actual DEMOCRATS who ... don't.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 21, 2008 1:16:08 PM

"he offers us a chance back from the abyss that Bush has thrown us into"
-----
Hahaha: by shifting troops from Iraq to Afghanistan? Get a clue -- the dyslexic one is a front-man for the right.

The one "back from the abyss" vote he could have made -- on FISA -- he voted with the Republicans, not the Democrats.

Get a clue.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 21, 2008 1:12:50 PM

One thing about all this Denver BS is only 6% of democrates agree with you guys. So cry all you want if you want a gaurenteed losing candidate throw obama out and put Hillary in. I know I'd stay home that day so would most of the college educated white's all the blacks and most men. Some of you people are just SORE LOSERS!!!!! If hillary was the best canidate and she lost that makes her not the best canidate. The best canidate wins. So cry all you want the rest of us will vote for Barack Hussien Obama and cheer him on all the way to the white house!

Posted by: Joe | Jul 21, 2008 1:10:26 PM

Wow, you Obama-haters are sure getting petty today. Go ahead, release your frustration. I realize how upsetting it must be to know that most of America - and the world, want Obama for President because he offers us a chance back from the abyss that Bush has thrown us into and which McCain just doesn't have the stuff to get us out of. McCain is a good man, but he just isn't Presidential material. Obama, on the other hand, may not be all that experienced as an executive, but he is definitely Presidential material. And a quick learner, I have no doubt. He will surround himself with the best possible administration (unlike Bush) and cabinet (unlike Bush), and he has plenty to choose from, both Democrats AND Republcans. You can scream "empty suit" and "inexperienced" and all the other nasty epithets you want to hurl at him, but the man is intelligent and no fool. He will make an excellent President. By the way, he never referred to primaries in 57 "states", he was referring to him and Senator Clinton being involved in 57 primaries - one in each state and then there was Guam, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Democratic Americans Overseas, etc. Also, I don't even recall having such hard times under President Carter. He was only in four years and hardly could get anything accomplished. When Iran took Americans hostage (though none died while they were in Iranian custody) that just sunk it for him. I don't recall difficult economic times. Reagan's (a Republican) 8 years were far worse economically. Mortgage interest rates were in the mid-teens in 1985. During Nixon's (a Republican) administration we had another gas shortage and a freeze on salary raises - I couldn't get a raise in 1973 because of him. So, why are you all bringing up Carter to compare?? He was a good man whose heart was always in the right place - unlike Nixon and this Bush(a Republican) who were/are definitely megalomaniacs.

Posted by: geecee | Jul 21, 2008 1:04:06 PM

"the primary was an anti-democratic sham"
-----
It certainly WAS -- and the Democratic "leadership" and its underlings can correct that at Denver.

Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 21, 2008 12:56:24 PM

Hey Lou:
Plenty of stuff out there about the economic distaster of an Obama presidency.
Try Denver Post, Hudffington Post, Pittsburgh Press, Newsmax.....open your eyes sir!
Plenty of economist says we will be in trouble!

Posted by: Jane | Jul 21, 2008 12:52:41 PM

"German media is reporting that Obama will prohibit placards and banners at his speech. Afraid of a few protests? This site does not seem to allow links, but you can try the publication bild with a "de" designation."
-----
No backpacks, no bags, no posters, no banners. Whatcha wanna bet a HUGE banner, in the style of the "What about the Huges loan?" one that so bugged Nixon, appears ANYway? (If don't understand this reference, search for that phrase.)

From the article: "Whether a live transmission can take place, is still under negotiation."

Posted by: Belle Starr | Jul 21, 2008 12:52:38 PM

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