Bush is Guzzler in Chief

[pegkerr]

Bush's State of the Union urged Americans to conserve energy, to wean us of our dependence on foreign oil. The irony is that George Bush himself is one of the biggest gas guzzlers in the country. See the figures here, too. They are really eye-opening.

Comments

[minnehaha.livejournal.com]

This is fun, but it's basically unfair. What's travelling is more than the person; it's the office. You simply can't expect the president to take the bus.

B

[elfundeb.livejournal.com]

The articles leave out all the extra fuel consumed by motorists who are held up in traffic created by the motorcades.

OTOH, we can't expect the president to remain a prisoner in the White House (that was one of my big beefs about Reagan -- he never went anywhere in D.C.), and he does have a right to expect us to do our best to protect him -- and that's why most of the motorcade is there, and why they don't drive him around in a Toyota Prius.

I'm much happier that he takes the helicopter from the White House lawn to Andrews Air Force Base when he travels -- especially when he leaves on Friday afternoons. The motorcade would be hell on Washington traffic, and it would be much less safe.

But really, do they have to haul the helicopter and the limo around the country? Are they that specialized?

[hedwig-snowy.livejournal.com]

We expect the President to be secure and that takes alot of manpower and materials. However, that should only be for "Official" events and not this campaign swing or when he goes to a $5 million fundraiser in a city that he's traveled to, but claims it's an "Official" trip because he read "Horton Hears a Who" to 2nd-graders for 15 minutes. All Presidents do this, but they should charge their campaign war chests or their political party's funds (RNC or DNC) for such 'vacations'.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

You simply can't expect the president to take the bus. Ha. True.

But the very idea is delicious.

[pegkerr.livejournal.com]

But really, do they have to haul the helicopter and the limo around the country? Are they that specialized?

The limo at least is probably very heavily armor-plated, and yes, that probably is necessary.