At Fiscal Responsibility Summit, McCain Suggests Cost-Saving: Cancel the President's New Chopper

There are a large number of helicopters
in the presidential fleet. The current plan is the buy 28 new helicopters which
why the cost is so high. Security concerns
require a large fleet as presidential helicopters alway fly in groups of up to
five aircraft so there are always decoy
ships in the mix. When the president travels, groups of helicopters must be
prepositioned at every stop and even a fairly simple itenarary may require a
dozen helicopters flown in and distributed at the planned stop points
along the president's route. Presidential travel involves complicated and expensive logistics.

People who see this as an attack are crazy. McCain brought up the helicopter as an example of the wider issue they were discussing. He didn't accuse Obama of appropriating it. Apparently Obama and him agree. On a side note there is a fascinating back story about the Marine One contracting. It reads like something out of Tom Clancy novel complete with espionage, bribery, and corruption.

The new helicopters are expensive, yes. But the old ones are 30 years old. And do not have the same armor and anti-missile defense as the old ones.

It sounds like a lot of money. But we spend money on all kinds of things when it comes to keeping the President safe.

Has anyone noticed how McCain starts looking down and getting sort of nervous whenever he starts doing something lame.

He did this during the debates whenever he was going to tell a lie.

what a joke Mr McCain. If you were in you would get rid of Marine One or buy two for Sara

Jake Tapper,

I appreciate the report. Thanks for the information. Did you notice that you didn't really report on the fact that the previous president ordered the helicopters? To be fair, it was mentioned in a one line, after the fact update. But really, I expect more from you. You are one of the few journalists whom I respect and somewhat trust. I know that my opinion may mean nothing to you, and that is ok. I hope that you won't turn into one of the others who are unprofessional and slant the news to their point of view or to get approval from partisanship groups, and not so much to report facts. Just get the facts, be fair/unbiased, and tell us the news Mr Tapper. All of it.

from
one of your independent viewers/readers

Skeetz, I'd be glad to give President Obama time to catch his breathe. In fact, I would implore him to slow down and catch a breathe, because he is exhausting me. There was some urgency attached to the stimulus package, but not as much as those rushing the package through before anyone could get a close look at it would have had you think. (After all, once it rushed through the two chambers, it was okay to wait four days to have a grand signing ceremony, as I recall.) Some deliberation is called for and I am not among thus urging the president to do something, anything, immediately, even if it is wrong.

I would remind you, however, that Obama has known since November that he would be occupying the office he now holds (and with his ego, I suspect he was pretty sure that was going to be the case months before that). He had several months of transition time during which the Bush administration, as all the news media would attest, was remarkably open and helpful in getting his people in place and up to speed so they could, if need be, hit the ground running. Still, as you say, let the man take it a bit slower. Some calm reflection is called for at this point before he leaps to solve yet another "crisis," in my opinion.

Ryan_C, Peach is not the only one exaggerating, seems to me. You know as well as I do that the cost of the war in Iraq to the government to date is NOT 600B. That is an inflated figure from a single economist who wants to factor in lots of costs that are not specific to the government, such as the estimated loss of future income for wounded soldiers. As sad as that is, it is not part of the cost of the war to the government over the last 6 years, which is what Peach was referring to.

Obama has barely had time to wipe his shoes off at the White House door and has been confronted with the most nastiest of all problems, courtesy of George "intellectually incompetant puppet of Conservative Republicans" Bush. Folks ought to give Obama some time to get a real grasp of all the damage that Bush allowed to happen to this country. Doubt anyone as a new President would have a total game plan so quickly to fix everything. This country got into this shape over a long period of time, folks expect Obama to take like 5 minutes to get things fixed, get real. America is now facing the full benefit of the Bush legacy. What hemmoraghing does Obama stop first?

"Your helicopter." Ha ha ha, very funny, McCain, but the joke's on you. Obama stole your thunder and then made you the butt of your own joke. McCain is to Obama as Santieri was to Mozart. LULZ

The President has solved the economic crisis. The DOW is up 134 points right now. Yesterday's economic summit was the answer. Go America!!!

"Obama’s current spending proposals will cost more than the US spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the general war on terror and Hurricane Katrina in the last seven years."

The budget bill is $410B.

The cost of the Iraq War is near $600B.

Once again, Peach just telling lies.

"ABC says there are so many thousands of earmarks they can't count them all."

The $3.8 billion in the bill for legislative projects known as "earmarks" is down about 5% from the $4 billion in fiscal 2008, House Appropriations Committee spokeswoman Kirstin Brost said.

"Last night on ABC, Jonathan Karl said he has reviewed the anti-stimulus bill and it is filled with thousands of earmarks."

Still repeating this lie?

The stimulus bill did not contain earmarks.

The budget bill now being discussed does.

Didn't Senator McCain look awful? Oh, Lord, I thank Thee that he's not our President. You answered the prayers of the righteous in delivering his defeat.

I may be mistaking, if it wasn't Senator Bunning who questioned the President's birth place, I'm sorry. Two foolish Republican Congressmen were in the news saying dumb things, and I can't remember who's who right now. Maybe Bunning said Justice Ginsburg would be dead by Christmas or something to that effect.

I was trying to refrain from posting, but, that was total pwnage by the President to McCain, Cantor, and that other fool crying that he hasn't been fed and burped by Nancy Pelosi. The greatest part of it was the setting. He was the teacher, and they the pupil. The President...yes he's the President, Senator Bunning (even if you've PERSONALLY not verified his birth certificate) is showing what competence in governing looks like. What we've witnessed for the past 35 years has been complete buffoonery by our representatives of both parties.

And to think democrat Senator Schumer said that Americans "don't care about a few pesky earmarks."

I'd love to know when a "few" became "thousands". I suppose only in the minds of Congressional Democrats who have made it their mission to promote tax cheats and punish the responsible.

So, did you ever come up with page numbers for those pork projects from yesterday?

Posted by: Jwench | Feb 24, 2009 7:53:21 AM
**********
Jwench, it's so touching that you believe the DNC instead of ABC's Jonathan Karl.

Thanks for giving me an opportunity to repeat what he said.

Last night on ABC, Jonathan Karl said he has reviewed the anti-stimulus bill and it is filled with thousands of earmarks.

ABC says there are so many thousands of earmarks they can't count them all.

Posted by: Jerry | Feb 24, 2009 8:23:04 AM

Don't worry. All Obama has to do tonight is to say that's everything is better now and Democrats will believe it.

They believe anything he says without a single thought. We call that willing suspension of disbelief on the part of useful idiots.