Posted on 06/17/2009 4:52:44 AM PDT by IbJensen
The heads of government in London for the G-20 summit are discussing serious and weighty issues, which in time will be duly reported on, but right now the British press is entranced by the sheer size of President Obama's traveling entourage. And no wonder.
Obama arrived with 500 staff in tow, including 200 Secret Service agents, a team of six doctors, the White House chef and kitchen staff with the president's own food and water.
And, according to the Evening Standard, he also came with "35 vehicles in all, four speech writers and 12 teleprompters." For sure, our president is not going to be at a loss for words.
The press duly reported on Air Force One and all its bells and whistles but also on the presence of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, and a fleet of identical decoys to ferry him from Stansted airport to central London.
Among all those vehicles is the presidential limousine, which one local paper mistakenly called Cadillac One, but is universally referred to as the Beast. The limo, reinforced with ceramic and titanium armor, carries tear gas cannon, night vision devices, its own oxygen and is resistant to chemical and radiation attack. It is, marveled one reporter, a sort of mobile panic room. The Guardian called it "the ultimate in heavily armored transport."
The president is entitled to all the security, communications and support he feels necessary to do his job but surely, when we're trying to project a more restrained, humble image to the world, the president's huge retinue could be scaled back to something less than the triumphal march from "Aida."
Yes. It’s a sad one, but true.
Yeah, that got old a long time aga..
Questioning the size, cost, and exceptionally conspicuous entourage is racist, because Obama’s Kenyan half is 7% black.
I assume POTUS stays in a suite at the Ambassador’s residence while he’s in town. What do the other 500 do, take over a West End hotel?
The chef is ridiculous and insulting to the host head of state. If they eat the same food, then they both get sick or dead.
200 armed guards surrounding one man would be considered a “riot” in this country. I know they rotate shifts and some man the comm station but seems like 10 or 20 would be more than enough.
6 damned doctors? I’m sure the PM’s Harley St. medical team could have been made available.
300 additional staff on top of the Secret Service? He was there to give one speech and eat dinner, for Christ’s sake. I’ll bet he barely has 300 lackeys in the WH when he’s on home turf.
Limos, SUVs, helos, tanks, APCs, etc. could all have been left home and transport provided by the host. All he required was one car, riding shotgun with the PM. The press and lesser mortals can take taxis or hired limos.
If I were the prez, I would be absolutely embarassed by the ostentatious display of self-importance. I would also be greatly concerned about the cost of this junket.
On overnight stays, the President will usually stay in the host country's guest house or a hotel. It is really rare that he will stay in the Ambassador's residence. The President's security and communications packages take up a lot of room. WHCA and the Secret Service bring lots of people and equipment.
The chef is ridiculous and insulting to the host head of state. If they eat the same food, then they both get sick or dead.
The theory is that someone can slip something in the President's food and not in someone else's. Hence the need for the President's food to be under the control of the Secret Service at all times. If the President is out and about and at random, and has some food at a fair or picnic, then he can have the local food.
200 armed guards surrounding one man would be considered a “riot” in this country. I know they rotate shifts and some man the comm station but seems like 10 or 20 would be more than enough.
There is around the clock protection of the President and other members of the travelling party along with those SS preppostioned at the various sites. The Secret Service works closely with the host government security people and they coordinate protection. The so-called secure package usually contains 13 vehicles including an ambulance, back up limo, etc.
6 damned doctors? I’m sure the PM’s Harley St. medical team could have been made available.
The number of doctors sounds high for just the President. Usually there are just 2. There are doctors assigned to assist others in the visiting party, including one from the State Department to support the Secretary of State. Other agencies may assign doctors for their principals.
300 additional staff on top of the Secret Service? He was there to give one speech and eat dinner, for Christ’s sake. I’ll bet he barely has 300 lackeys in the WH when he’s on home turf.There are plenty of support staff to assist the President and other members of the party. Lots of commo folks. And there are pre-advance, and advance personnel who scope out the visit and draw up the itinerary. The First Lady has a support staff as well. The most I have ever been personally involved with was Carter's visit to Iran, which had over 1,000 people counting two plane loads of reporters. On Reagan's visit to Bitburg, I ran a 70 car motorcade.
Limos, SUVs, helos, tanks, APCs, etc. could all have been left home and transport provided by the host. All he required was one car, riding shotgun with the PM. The press and lesser mortals can take taxis or hired limos./
LOL. Those days are long gone. The President of the world's lone superpower travels with a huge retinue. In essence, the WH travels with him so he can carry out the responsibilities of President from anywhere in the world, including launching an all out nuclear war. We bring limos, helos, support vehicles, common gear, etc. with us.
Unless the press is included in the motorcade, there is no way they could cover the President on the ground. Security is so tight, that they couldn't move with him using taxis and limos. The Press buses are part of the motorcade. Everyone is checked and cleared who gets near the President.
If I were the prez, I would be absolutely embarassed by the ostentatious display of self-importance. I would also be greatly concerned about the cost of this junket.
The President is in many ways a prisoner of the Secret Service. They have the responsibility for the President's security. Any President eschewing their advice and security would be taking a major risk. On very few ocassions have they ever ignored their advice. The President's personal safety is a matter of national security and not just up to one man's judgment. I don't see that changing anytime soon.
Some Presidents have tried to reduce the size of the travelling party and other support, but it has been miminal in term of its impact. With the larger plane, it is harder to tell strap hangers they can't come. The costs are enormous and they don't include the support and manhours our embassies spend in supporting the visit plus whatever is provided by the host country.
Thank you for the detailed reply. I knew some of it but it has been over 30 yrs since I had contact with anyone in WHCA. My screen name should give you an idea of what I did in the Navy. I was recruited in 1970 but turned it down. The choice was - WHCA = short hair, clean cut, always in uniform, high cost of living w/no allowance, barracks at Ft. Deitrick, always on best behavior. CINCUSNAVEUR staff, London = always in civvies, long hair, apartment in town, 3 kinds of allowances, freedom, aaaannnnd, you can fill in the blanks for the rest. I was 21 and single.
One of my best friends back then was on LBJ’s advance team in the ‘60s. He hated it. LBJ treated them all like personal servants. He regaled me with one story about a time when LBJ was at the ranch and was having one of his famous BBQ’s. He had the advanced comm team paint the damned fence on one of the corrals. When the party started, they all became bartenders and waiters. The WHCA OIC was always trying to stick up for his boys, but what could he do?
But, even in today’s dangerous world, 500 security and staff seems obscene. Hell, he didn’t take 500 people to the theatre in Manhattan, did he??
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