The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic (46 page)
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Authors: David Limbaugh
BOOK: The Great Destroyer: Barack Obama's War on the Republic
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The first family planned another vacation in early August in the posh southern Spanish resort city of Marbella, “a prime holiday destination favored by the rich and famous.”
56
Although Obama apparently intended to visit King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofi, reports seemed to indicate this was an excuse to justify the trip rather than a primary reason for it.
57
And despite initial reports, only First Lady Michelle Obama ended up traveling to Spain, accompanied by “longtime family friends,” and stayed at the luxurious, five-star Villa Padierna, where all activities on the trip were closed to the press.
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56
Although Obama apparently intended to visit King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofi, reports seemed to indicate this was an excuse to justify the trip rather than a primary reason for it.
57
And despite initial reports, only First Lady Michelle Obama ended up traveling to Spain, accompanied by “longtime family friends,” and stayed at the luxurious, five-star Villa Padierna, where all activities on the trip were closed to the press.
58
There was usually no indication that the Obamas financed these trips themselves. Indeed, as the UK
Daily Mail
reported about Michelle’s trip to Spain, “Whether or not the taxpaying American will be paying for meals, they will definitely be footing the bill for the First Lady’s 68-strong security detail, her personal staff—and the use of presidential Air Force Two…. The use of Air Force Two, the Air Force Version of a 757, comes in at 91,900 pounds [around $145,000] for the round trip. This does not include time on the ground.”
59
Including all expenses, the
Daily Mail
reported, Michelle’s “lavish break in Spain with 40 friends… could easily cost U.S. taxpayers a staggering 50,000 pounds [$79,000] a day…. And her critics will be further annoyed when they learn that the president’s wife had a Spanish beach closed off today so that she, her daughter and their entourage could go for a swim.”
60
Daily Mail
reported about Michelle’s trip to Spain, “Whether or not the taxpaying American will be paying for meals, they will definitely be footing the bill for the First Lady’s 68-strong security detail, her personal staff—and the use of presidential Air Force Two…. The use of Air Force Two, the Air Force Version of a 757, comes in at 91,900 pounds [around $145,000] for the round trip. This does not include time on the ground.”
59
Including all expenses, the
Daily Mail
reported, Michelle’s “lavish break in Spain with 40 friends… could easily cost U.S. taxpayers a staggering 50,000 pounds [$79,000] a day…. And her critics will be further annoyed when they learn that the president’s wife had a Spanish beach closed off today so that she, her daughter and their entourage could go for a swim.”
60
When the media put a little (
very
little) heat on White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to discuss “the appearance” of the trip, Gibbs responded, “The first lady is on a private trip. She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip. And I think I’d leave it at that.”
61
When a journalist likened Michelle to Marie Antoinette, the White House did a little damage control, protesting that the first lady had gone to Spain to spend time with her best friend, who had lost her father.
62
very
little) heat on White House press secretary Robert Gibbs to discuss “the appearance” of the trip, Gibbs responded, “The first lady is on a private trip. She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip. And I think I’d leave it at that.”
61
When a journalist likened Michelle to Marie Antoinette, the White House did a little damage control, protesting that the first lady had gone to Spain to spend time with her best friend, who had lost her father.
62
Around July 2010, the Obamas took a total of four vacations in a month’s time: Bar Harbor, Marbella, Florida, and—of course—Martha’s Vineyard, where the family stayed ten days, renting a $20 million estate at an estimated cost of between $35,000 and $50,000 a week. They went on a total of eight vacations by the end of the summer of 2010.
63
While the Obamas were at Martha’s Vineyard, according to the Drudge Report, workers at the White House were busy installing new carpets, drapes, painting, and other furnishings in the Oval Office. This appeared particularly insensitive and wasteful given the economic climate at the time.
63
While the Obamas were at Martha’s Vineyard, according to the Drudge Report, workers at the White House were busy installing new carpets, drapes, painting, and other furnishings in the Oval Office. This appeared particularly insensitive and wasteful given the economic climate at the time.
Eventually, the Obamas lavishness became the butt of jokes on late-night TV. “He’ll have plenty of time for vacations after his one term is up,” quipped David Letterman.
64
AS MUCH POMP AS THE PHARAOHS AND LUDICROUS ROMAN EMPERORS64
The granddaddy of all presidential vacations came in October 2010, when the Obamas, as if operating on the scale of the great kings of Ancient Persia, booked 800 luxury hotel rooms in Mumbai, including 547 rooms and all the banquet halls at the Taj Mahal hotel, 125 rooms at the Taj President in Cuffe Parade, and between eighty and ninety rooms at the ITC Grand Hyatt. In addition, forty aircraft, including two jets, and forty-five cars, six of them armored, were part of Obama’s convoy.
65
It was set to be the biggest trip by any U.S. president in terms of protocol and logistics.
66
Thirty-four U.S. naval ships would be deployed alongside Indian ships to guard the coast outside the hotel. The total cost for Obama’s extravagant trip would be an astounding $200 million—per day.
67
65
It was set to be the biggest trip by any U.S. president in terms of protocol and logistics.
66
Thirty-four U.S. naval ships would be deployed alongside Indian ships to guard the coast outside the hotel. The total cost for Obama’s extravagant trip would be an astounding $200 million—per day.
67
Security teams employed extraordinary measures not just for the main trip, but also for Obama’s side tour of the Mani Bhavan Gandhi museum. U.S. military engineers erected a bomb-proof, over-ground, air-conditioned tunnel replete with close-circuit TV cameras and heavily armed guards for his tour. “Probably not since the days of the Pharaohs or the more ludicrous Roman Emperors has a head of state traveled in such pomp and expensive grandeur as the President of the United States of America,” observed Britain’s
Daily Mail
. “While lesser mortals—the Pope, Queen Elizabeth and so on—are usually happy to let their hosts handle most of the security and transport arrangements when they venture beyond their home shores, the United States creates a mini-America on the move to ensure that nothing is left to chance.”
68
It seemed Obama had finally fulfilled his vow to transform America’s image abroad.
Daily Mail
. “While lesser mortals—the Pope, Queen Elizabeth and so on—are usually happy to let their hosts handle most of the security and transport arrangements when they venture beyond their home shores, the United States creates a mini-America on the move to ensure that nothing is left to chance.”
68
It seemed Obama had finally fulfilled his vow to transform America’s image abroad.
Perhaps Obama was trying to disprove
Forbes
magazine’s recent assessment that Chinese President Hu Jintao, not he, was the most powerful man in the world.
69
But if presidential air travel were any measure, Obama was still quite powerful, for the National Taxpayers Union Foundation published a report showing Obama had set new records for presidential travel costs—far higher than any previously reported.
Forbes
magazine’s recent assessment that Chinese President Hu Jintao, not he, was the most powerful man in the world.
69
But if presidential air travel were any measure, Obama was still quite powerful, for the National Taxpayers Union Foundation published a report showing Obama had set new records for presidential travel costs—far higher than any previously reported.
The U.S. military estimates that it costs $181,757 per hour to operate Air Force One. This cost and accompanying expenses have been amplified for President Obama, who spent more days abroad in his first two years than any other president. “It’s astonishing,” said the study’s author, Demian Brady. “It’s far higher than any other … the figure that’s been reported on. It’s very surprising, and of course it’s just a fraction of the overall cost involved with presidential travel.”
70
While the administration disputed some of the cost estimates for his Mumbai trip and others, it would not reveal the actual accounting, as if the public had no right to know.
70
While the administration disputed some of the cost estimates for his Mumbai trip and others, it would not reveal the actual accounting, as if the public had no right to know.
According to Byron York of the
Washington Examiner
, Obama, as of the beginning of 2011, had spent 339 of his 712 days in office—almost 48 percent—outside Washington. Yet Obama’s alter ego, presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett, claimed on
Meet the Press
that Obama’s “biggest regret” was that the economic crisis had forced him to “spend almost every waking hour in Washington focusing very hard on solving that crisis,” and had prevented him from traveling around to meet everyday Americans. Jarrett quoted Obama as saying, “I really want to figure out a way where I can spend more time outside of Washington listening and learning and engaging the American people.”
Washington Examiner
, Obama, as of the beginning of 2011, had spent 339 of his 712 days in office—almost 48 percent—outside Washington. Yet Obama’s alter ego, presidential adviser Valerie Jarrett, claimed on
Meet the Press
that Obama’s “biggest regret” was that the economic crisis had forced him to “spend almost every waking hour in Washington focusing very hard on solving that crisis,” and had prevented him from traveling around to meet everyday Americans. Jarrett quoted Obama as saying, “I really want to figure out a way where I can spend more time outside of Washington listening and learning and engaging the American people.”
But if Obama is not seeing enough of Americans, they are certainly seeing plenty of him; in his 712 days in office, York noted, he had only failed to make a public appearance or statement of some sort on forty-five of them.
71
And all these figures, mind you, were established before Obama was to kick his presidential reelection campaign into gear.
“WITH WASHINGTON IN A DEEP FREEZE, OBAMA EXTENDS STAY IN OAHU”71
And all these figures, mind you, were established before Obama was to kick his presidential reelection campaign into gear.
In accordance with his new tradition, Obama took his family and friends to Hawaii again for his Christmas vacation in 2010, in a plush home that rents for $3,500 a night and $75,000 monthly.
72
As usual, the trip incurred enormous costs. Mrs. Obama’s early flight to Hawaii cost $63,000; Obama’s round-trip flight cost some $1 million. Housing for Secret Service and Seals cost $16,800. There was $134,400 in hotel costs for twenty-four White House staff, excluding meals and other room costs, plus $250,000 in estimated costs for police overtime and $10,000 for ambulance service, for a total cost of $1,474,200. And this did not include expenses for office rental, security upgrades, additional phone lines, car rentals and fuel for White House staff, surveillance prior to his trip, and travel costs for Secret Service and White House staff traveling in advance.
72
As usual, the trip incurred enormous costs. Mrs. Obama’s early flight to Hawaii cost $63,000; Obama’s round-trip flight cost some $1 million. Housing for Secret Service and Seals cost $16,800. There was $134,400 in hotel costs for twenty-four White House staff, excluding meals and other room costs, plus $250,000 in estimated costs for police overtime and $10,000 for ambulance service, for a total cost of $1,474,200. And this did not include expenses for office rental, security upgrades, additional phone lines, car rentals and fuel for White House staff, surveillance prior to his trip, and travel costs for Secret Service and White House staff traveling in advance.
While the White House dismissed these as the ordinary course of business for presidential trips (and again refused to disclose the actual records), the
Hawaii Reporter
observed, “They could have chosen a less expensive and more secure place to stay such as a beachfront home on the Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station—just a two-minute drive away from the Kailuana Place property where they are now. The president visits the military base daily to workout, bowl with his kids or enjoy the more private beach there. He also could have stayed at a home 15 minutes away on the beach fronting Bellows Air Force Base as President Bill Clinton did.” Instead, Obama and his friends chose three luxury beachfront locations, including the $3,500 per day rental home that is “7,000 square feet, with 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms, a media room with surround sound, and master-chef-ready kitchen, a secluded lagoon style pool with tropical waterfalls and a lavish island spa.”
73
Hawaii Reporter
observed, “They could have chosen a less expensive and more secure place to stay such as a beachfront home on the Kaneohe Marine Corp Air Station—just a two-minute drive away from the Kailuana Place property where they are now. The president visits the military base daily to workout, bowl with his kids or enjoy the more private beach there. He also could have stayed at a home 15 minutes away on the beach fronting Bellows Air Force Base as President Bill Clinton did.” Instead, Obama and his friends chose three luxury beachfront locations, including the $3,500 per day rental home that is “7,000 square feet, with 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 bathrooms, a media room with surround sound, and master-chef-ready kitchen, a secluded lagoon style pool with tropical waterfalls and a lavish island spa.”
73
Obama ended up extending his stay for several days, which caught the notice—again—of the foreign press. Under the headline “Wish you were here? President spends $1.5m on his holiday in Hawaii … while the rest of America faces a bleak New Year,” the
Daily Mail
reported, “President Obama has splashed out more than $1.5 million on a sunshine break in Hawaii while many Americans are still struggling in the aftermath of the economic meltdown. With Washington in a deep freeze, Mr. Obama yesterday extended his stay on Oahu until next Monday.”
74
Daily Mail
reported, “President Obama has splashed out more than $1.5 million on a sunshine break in Hawaii while many Americans are still struggling in the aftermath of the economic meltdown. With Washington in a deep freeze, Mr. Obama yesterday extended his stay on Oahu until next Monday.”
74
Perhaps Obama wouldn’t be criticized as much for his extravagance and self-indulgence if he didn’t visit the finest places without regard to or concern for costs to the taxpayer, much less the optics. But it was as if he were trying to make a statement that he and his family were presidential royalty who could do exactly as they pleased, irrespective of America’s economic condition, which could explain why he insisted on going to visit a childhood friend in Hawaii, accompanied by a ten-vehicle, twenty-man motorcade.
75
75
Obama might have more credibility if he didn’t flash $100 bills from his pocket on routine trips to the ice cream stand, which is hardly a suitable image for a president who trucks in class warfare. His professed concerns about income disparities among Americans might ring truer if he didn’t let slip, for example, his opinion that the White House press secretary’s annual salary of $172,000 was “relatively modest pay.”
76
It might seem that he is truly a man of the people if he didn’t avail himself and his family of special favors, as when the private school his daughters are attending had its icy sidewalks salted, while the sidewalks of the public school across the street remained uncleared.
77
76
It might seem that he is truly a man of the people if he didn’t avail himself and his family of special favors, as when the private school his daughters are attending had its icy sidewalks salted, while the sidewalks of the public school across the street remained uncleared.
77
People might be more inclined to believe Obama is sincere if he didn’t preside over such outrages as serving $199 bottles of wine at White House state dinners.
78
Obama might seem less hypocritical if he weren’t hobnobbing and partying with friends and big-shot journalists at a bash for outgoing White House adviser David Axelrod while Egypt was about to be swept up by revolution.
79
If Obama weren’t actually brewing his own beer—“White House Honey Ale”—for his own enjoyment, and conspicuously serving it to guests at his frequent White House parties, people might believe he could relate to their difficult circumstances.
80
“THE MOST GOLF-MAD OF ALL THE PRESIDENTS IN HISTORY”78
Obama might seem less hypocritical if he weren’t hobnobbing and partying with friends and big-shot journalists at a bash for outgoing White House adviser David Axelrod while Egypt was about to be swept up by revolution.
79
If Obama weren’t actually brewing his own beer—“White House Honey Ale”—for his own enjoyment, and conspicuously serving it to guests at his frequent White House parties, people might believe he could relate to their difficult circumstances.
80
In February 2011, the first lady took her daughters and friends on another vacation—a ski trip to Vail, Colorado.
81
Their choice of digs, the Sebastian Hotel on Vail Mountain, features rooms ranging from $650 to $2,400 per night. While there, setting aside her usual hectoring about Americans’ unhealthy eating habits, Michelle Obama feasted on ancho-chile short ribs at a restaurant beside her luxury ski hotel. Adding to the irony was a recent presidential plea to the American people to live more frugally. “If you’re a family trying to cut back,” advised Obama, “you might skip going out to dinner, or you might put off a vacation.”
82
81
Their choice of digs, the Sebastian Hotel on Vail Mountain, features rooms ranging from $650 to $2,400 per night. While there, setting aside her usual hectoring about Americans’ unhealthy eating habits, Michelle Obama feasted on ancho-chile short ribs at a restaurant beside her luxury ski hotel. Adding to the irony was a recent presidential plea to the American people to live more frugally. “If you’re a family trying to cut back,” advised Obama, “you might skip going out to dinner, or you might put off a vacation.”
82
Around this time—early March 2011—the president racked up his sixtieth golf outing,
83
the equivalent of two months’ recreating on the links. But Obama did take a brief respite from golf when he taped his NCAA picks for airing on ESPN.
84
Obama publicized the ESPN picks in his schedule while the media were simultaneously reporting that Japan had ordered 140,000 of its people to stay indoors to protect themselves from the radiation leak caused by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami that killed some 10,000 people.
83
the equivalent of two months’ recreating on the links. But Obama did take a brief respite from golf when he taped his NCAA picks for airing on ESPN.
84
Obama publicized the ESPN picks in his schedule while the media were simultaneously reporting that Japan had ordered 140,000 of its people to stay indoors to protect themselves from the radiation leak caused by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami that killed some 10,000 people.
The bracket picks followed a night of heavy campaigning with Democratic donors at the St. Regis Hotel.
85
At a press conference NBC News’ Mike Viqueira asked Press Secretary Jay Carney, “Is it entirely appropriate for the president to be addressing a crisis of this gravity as he’s standing before a whiteboard talking about the basketball tournament?” Without skipping a beat, Carney replied, “There are crises all the time, for every president. And again, this one is happening halfway around the world, and it is severe, and it is important, and it is the focus of a great deal of the president’s attention, as are the events in the Middle East, as are the agenda items that he is pursuing to grow the economy.” Carney even bragged that Obama, during his bracket frolic on ESPN, had magnanimously urged Americans to donate to the Japanese earthquake victims. “So, yes,” said an unapologetic Carney, “I do think it was appropriate.”
86
85
At a press conference NBC News’ Mike Viqueira asked Press Secretary Jay Carney, “Is it entirely appropriate for the president to be addressing a crisis of this gravity as he’s standing before a whiteboard talking about the basketball tournament?” Without skipping a beat, Carney replied, “There are crises all the time, for every president. And again, this one is happening halfway around the world, and it is severe, and it is important, and it is the focus of a great deal of the president’s attention, as are the events in the Middle East, as are the agenda items that he is pursuing to grow the economy.” Carney even bragged that Obama, during his bracket frolic on ESPN, had magnanimously urged Americans to donate to the Japanese earthquake victims. “So, yes,” said an unapologetic Carney, “I do think it was appropriate.”
86
Obama got back to his golf hobby in short order, however, and by the time the Seals raided bin Laden’s compound in May, he had racked up five straight weeks without missing a weekend golf outing, making it a total of sixty-six such outings since his inauguration.
87
He was even playing golf as U.S. special forces prepared to kill bin Laden, a revelation that prompted the UK
Telegraph
to note, “President Obama, it turns out, is by far the most golf-mad of all the Presidents in history.”
88
And golf is not the only activity Obama does to excess at taxpayer expense. According to a study by Brendan Doherty, a U.S. Naval Academy assistant professor and expert on presidential travel, as of mid-November 2011, President Obama had visited swing states “on official business” more times in a shorter time-span than either George W. Bush or Bill Clinton. In other words, he campaigns on the taxpayers’ dime more than previous presidents did.
89
87
He was even playing golf as U.S. special forces prepared to kill bin Laden, a revelation that prompted the UK
Telegraph
to note, “President Obama, it turns out, is by far the most golf-mad of all the Presidents in history.”
88
And golf is not the only activity Obama does to excess at taxpayer expense. According to a study by Brendan Doherty, a U.S. Naval Academy assistant professor and expert on presidential travel, as of mid-November 2011, President Obama had visited swing states “on official business” more times in a shorter time-span than either George W. Bush or Bill Clinton. In other words, he campaigns on the taxpayers’ dime more than previous presidents did.
89
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