First Lady Michelle Obama arrives in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2009 to lobby for Chicago as host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics. (AP Photo/Claus Bjoern Larsen, Polfoto)
(CNSNews.com) – President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are both traveling to Copenhagen this week to promote Chicago's bid to host to the 2016 Olympic Games--and they will be making the 3,979-mile trip on separate airplanes.
The first lady left on Tuesday night, while the president will leave for Denmark on Thursday night.
Taxpayers will pick up the tab for both jets ferrying the president and first lady separately to Europe.
“Everything they do, whether it’s signing pieces of legislation or flying around the world, everything is costing the taxpayer,” David Williams, vice president of policy for Citizens Against Government Waste, told CNSNews.com. “The taxpayer is picking up the tab for everything.”
The White House announced on Monday that the president would be joining his wife on this European trip, despite indicating earlier this month that the first lady would head up the U.S. Olympic Committee delegation to Copenhagen while Obama remained in the United States to continue pushing for his health care reform plan.
Back on Sept. 11, the White House announced that the first lady would travel to Denmark but not the president.
“President Obama informed IOC [International Olympic Committee] President Count Jacques Rogge today that the fight to pass health insurance reform keeps him from committing at this time to travel to Copenhagen on October 2, but he will continue to work to support Chicago’s bid along with the First Lady and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the President, who will accompany the First Lady to Copenhagen,” the Sept. 11 announcement said.
Repeated calls and e-mails to the first lady’s press office to confirm whether she is traveling on her appointed aircraft or will use the second presidential Boeing 747 were not answered as this story went to press.
As reported earlier by CNSNews.com, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report cited two cost estimates for an hour of air travel by the president, vice president and first lady. One estimate comes from the White House Military Office, the other from the U.S. Air Force.
Using the CRS cost estimates and the inflation adjuster from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost for the one-way 7.5-hour trip from Washington, D.C. to Copenhagen on the first lady's plane would range from $29,532 (White House Military Office) to $107,717 (U.S. Air Force).
The cost for the president to fly Air Force One on the one-way 7.5-hour trip from Washington, D.C. to Copenhagen ranges from $343,448 (White House Military Office) to $567,089 (U.S. Air Force).
When asked by CNSNews.com why the president decided to travel to Copenhagen, a White House spokesman said Obama did not think the short trip abroad would harm his efforts to promote health care reform.
“The president decided to make the brief trip to Copenhagen when it became clear that he could do so without negatively affecting his efforts on health care and the other important challenges facing this country,” spokesman Joshua Earnest told CNSNews.com.
According to the White House, the President will return to the United States on Friday afternoon. But it was unclear from the White House advisory when the First Lady would return.
When asked by CNSNews.com why the president and first lady are traveling on separate planes, Earnest said: “Mrs. Obama is leading the delegation to Copenhagen, and leaves with [White House senior advisor] Valerie Jarrett on Tuesday evening. Mrs. Obama will speak during the presentation on Friday, and will make a deeply personal appeal to the voting members before introducing the president.”
“She will spend Wednesday and Thursday lobbying individual IOC members in Copenhagen,” Earnest said. “The president will be in Copenhagen on Friday morning and will add his voice to the formal presentation to the IOC.”
Also joining the president and first lady on the two planes are Chicagoans Oprah Winfrey, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Chicago joins Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the four cities being considered by the IOC.
Obama is the first U.S. president to make an in-person appeal to the IOC, but other world leaders have appeared before the committee to pitch their country as an Olympic venue. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair traveled to Singapore in 2004 when the 2012 games were awarded to London. In 2007, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin went to Guatemala City to win the 2014 games for the Russian city of Sochi.
Obama previously sent a letter to the IOC in support of Chicago, saying that the city would promise a “spectacular Olympic experience for one and all.”
Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Richard M. Daley, who is already in Copenhagen, said he was thrilled that the president and first lady would be joining him.
“President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama symbolize the hope, opportunity, and inspiration that make Chicago great,” Daley said in a statement, “and we are honored to have two of the city’s most accomplished residents leading our delegation in Copenhagen.”
The first lady left on Tuesday night, while the president will leave for Denmark on Thursday night.
Taxpayers will pick up the tab for both jets ferrying the president and first lady separately to Europe.
“Everything they do, whether it’s signing pieces of legislation or flying around the world, everything is costing the taxpayer,” David Williams, vice president of policy for Citizens Against Government Waste, told CNSNews.com. “The taxpayer is picking up the tab for everything.”
The White House announced on Monday that the president would be joining his wife on this European trip, despite indicating earlier this month that the first lady would head up the U.S. Olympic Committee delegation to Copenhagen while Obama remained in the United States to continue pushing for his health care reform plan.
Back on Sept. 11, the White House announced that the first lady would travel to Denmark but not the president.
“President Obama informed IOC [International Olympic Committee] President Count Jacques Rogge today that the fight to pass health insurance reform keeps him from committing at this time to travel to Copenhagen on October 2, but he will continue to work to support Chicago’s bid along with the First Lady and Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the President, who will accompany the First Lady to Copenhagen,” the Sept. 11 announcement said.
Repeated calls and e-mails to the first lady’s press office to confirm whether she is traveling on her appointed aircraft or will use the second presidential Boeing 747 were not answered as this story went to press.
As reported earlier by CNSNews.com, a Congressional Research Service (CRS) report cited two cost estimates for an hour of air travel by the president, vice president and first lady. One estimate comes from the White House Military Office, the other from the U.S. Air Force.
Using the CRS cost estimates and the inflation adjuster from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the cost for the one-way 7.5-hour trip from Washington, D.C. to Copenhagen on the first lady's plane would range from $29,532 (White House Military Office) to $107,717 (U.S. Air Force).
The cost for the president to fly Air Force One on the one-way 7.5-hour trip from Washington, D.C. to Copenhagen ranges from $343,448 (White House Military Office) to $567,089 (U.S. Air Force).
When asked by CNSNews.com why the president decided to travel to Copenhagen, a White House spokesman said Obama did not think the short trip abroad would harm his efforts to promote health care reform.
“The president decided to make the brief trip to Copenhagen when it became clear that he could do so without negatively affecting his efforts on health care and the other important challenges facing this country,” spokesman Joshua Earnest told CNSNews.com.
According to the White House, the President will return to the United States on Friday afternoon. But it was unclear from the White House advisory when the First Lady would return.
When asked by CNSNews.com why the president and first lady are traveling on separate planes, Earnest said: “Mrs. Obama is leading the delegation to Copenhagen, and leaves with [White House senior advisor] Valerie Jarrett on Tuesday evening. Mrs. Obama will speak during the presentation on Friday, and will make a deeply personal appeal to the voting members before introducing the president.”
“She will spend Wednesday and Thursday lobbying individual IOC members in Copenhagen,” Earnest said. “The president will be in Copenhagen on Friday morning and will add his voice to the formal presentation to the IOC.”
Also joining the president and first lady on the two planes are Chicagoans Oprah Winfrey, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.
Chicago joins Madrid, Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as the four cities being considered by the IOC.
Obama is the first U.S. president to make an in-person appeal to the IOC, but other world leaders have appeared before the committee to pitch their country as an Olympic venue. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair traveled to Singapore in 2004 when the 2012 games were awarded to London. In 2007, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin went to Guatemala City to win the 2014 games for the Russian city of Sochi.
Obama previously sent a letter to the IOC in support of Chicago, saying that the city would promise a “spectacular Olympic experience for one and all.”
Chicago’s Democratic Mayor Richard M. Daley, who is already in Copenhagen, said he was thrilled that the president and first lady would be joining him.
“President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama symbolize the hope, opportunity, and inspiration that make Chicago great,” Daley said in a statement, “and we are honored to have two of the city’s most accomplished residents leading our delegation in Copenhagen.”
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If I were married to that woman and could afford it, I'd fly separately, too.
When spending taxpayers' dollars is not a problem, why not??
Perhaps we should temporarily change the name Office of the Presidency to Office of the Chief Social Director. Obama ignores substantial issues facing America and instead runs around like a high school girl social director. "Look at me! See how important I am! Does my panty line show!" Obama is obviously in over his head and since he has no substance, he tries to dazzle us with BS.
Top Ten Reasons for Two Tax Payer Funded Trips: 1. He is promoting an Olympic Lying contest. 2. He wants the Chicago Olympics to be where the venue for the New World Currency. 3 He would like to exhibit American Olympic Socialized Athletic Health Care. 4. It was a good excuse for another narcissistic Photo, Radio and TV shoot/speech in Denmark. 5. Community organizing cannot place atheletic events at lower priorities than Nuclear War Events, Terrorism Events or Hell Care. 6. BO and Michelle had a private plane race going on. 7. Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to the President, needed a break after taking so much heat for not vetting the now gone czar Van Jones. 8. Why not kick off the New Federal Fiscal Year, Oct 1, with a masterfully expensive visit to the Old World? 9. Oprah needed to start taking her first of many payoff trips for her part in bringing in the vote. 10. Edu Scy, Duncan wants to opt for sports vice the child per day killings in his former Chicago schools.
Ever in search of a venue, a stage, a microphone, teleprompter and camera. Spare no expense, Mr. Obama, eh? Why bother to stay put in the Oval Office and actually do some work? Perhaps you fear the worst - possibly failing at something, much like every one of your predecessors and all of us have done - and managed to live with and rebound from.
Obuma must laugh himself to sleep every night thinking of the dummies that put him in power and are still listening him. All that garbage about fighting global warming and reducing government waste. All you concerned kool-ade drinking Obamaite's are the biggest bunch of fools. All we need to top this off is to catch Berry, Pelosi and Oprah in the sack together.
"Obama did not think the short trip abroad would harm his efforts to promote health care reform." Is this all he can think about?? The sooner we can give this clown (and all his minions, and I do mean ALL) the boot, the better we'll be. We're nothing more than subjects to do the bidding of His Worship and I've gotten sick and tired of seeing his face everywhere I go on the Web.
BO's carbon footprint is the only thing that can rival his ego in size.
That would explain Algore and his minions having massive protests against global warming and the president failing to pay his carbon tax. Oh, he isn't? Where's Algore? Not protesting? More proof that this global warming/climate change mess is just a load of partisan ****.
I am not surprised about this. Just shows the new administration does not care about the people they supposedly work for. Just keep adding cost to the taxpayers. Will it ever end?
********************************************
BARRY SOETORO aka BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA
IS A
USURPER
He is not eligible to be
President of the United States
because he is not a Natural Born Citizen
as required by Article Two, Section One, Clause Five of the United States Constitution.
This is a fact REGARDLESS of
where he was born (Mombassa, Hawaii, Chicago, Mecca or Mars).
He is not eligible
because he was not born of
TWO PARENTS
BOTH OF WHOM WERE UNITED STATES CITIZENS
AT THE TIME OF HIS BIRTH
as required by the Constitution.
Barack Hussein Obama Jr. is not eligible to be President of the United States because – according to public admissions made by him – his “birth status was governed” by the United Kingdom. Obama further admits he was a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies at birth.
Since Barack Hussein Obama Jr. was, if born in the state of Hawaii, a dual citizen, who – according to his own State Department – owed allegiance to the Queen of England and United Kingdom at the time of his birth – he cannot therefore be a “natural born” citizen of the US according to Article 2, Section 1, Clause 5 of the US Constitution.
His father, who did not live in the United States for more than a couple of years, was a subject/ciitizen
of Kenya/Great Britain at the time of Barack’s birth and afterwards, AND further, as Barack himself admitted on his website during the 2008 campaign, Barack was therefore born SUBJECT TO THE GOVERNANCE OF GREAT BRITAIN.
Here is a direct quote from Obama's "Fight the Smears/Fact Check" 2008 website:
‘When Barack Obama Jr. was born on Aug. 4,1961, in Honolulu, Kenya was a British colony, still part of the United Kingdom’s dwindling empire. As a Kenyan native, Barack Obama Sr. was a British subject whose citizenship status was governed by The British Nationality Act of 1948. That same act governed the status of Obama Sr.‘s children…’ “
The FACT that he was not born of TWO US CITIZEN PARENTS is all that matters. The question of his birth certificate is a distraction (a distraction fostered by Obama’s supporters?) that ought not to occupy our time and resources. BUT if you are really convinced of the value of the COLB (certificate of live birth) that Obama posted on his website, see this:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/9830547/Sun-Yatsen-Certification-of-Live-Birth-in-Hawaii
Also, it is possible that he is not a United States
citizen at all through his mother if he was born in Kenya, as three witnesses have testified. The reason is because his mother could not pass her US citizenship on to her son because she did not live continuously in the United States for five full years after her fourteenth birthday as required by the US immigration law in effect during that period of time.
Check it out:
http://www.TheObamaFile.com/ObamaNaturalBorn.htm
Also, an excellent introductory primer on Obama Presiidential Eligibility is to be found at:
http://people.mags.net/tonchen/birthers.htm
His usurpation can only be corrected (1) by Congress through his Impeachment and Removal [something which will never happen in a Congress controlled by Pelosi/Reid], or (2) it can be
corrected by his resignation, which could happen if the public presssure on him to resign becomes great enough, or (3) by his removal by the United States Supreme Court affirming a Quo Warranto decision of the United States Federal District Court for the District of Columbia [which process Attorney General Eric Holder would never allow to even begin] or (4) by an amendment to the Constitution,
which will never happen because that again would require the agreement of a Congress controlled by Pelosi/Reid.
_
HERE IS THE QUESTION WHICH EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN SHOULD BE ASKING HIS OR HER CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS
“During the 2008 election, then Senator Obama published a statement at his website which said that his birth status was ‘governed’ by the British Nationality Act of 1948. Can you please tell me, and the American people, how a person governed - at birth - by British law, can be a natural born citizen of the United States and thus constitutionally eligible to be President of the United States?”
---
- Leo Rugiens