Posted on 01/03/2010 5:58:34 PM PST by kristinn
Two articles presented here:
India Express article:
US President Barack Obama’s key aide and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel’s vacation in India had its official overtones. Not only did he have some important meetings, the Prime Minister’s media advisor, Harish Khare, is said to have worn the diplomat’s hat and hosted him for a trip to Old Delhi, showing him around the “spice streets”. Incidentally, the first leg of his trip, in the third week of December, clashed with the King of Bhutan’s state visit, and the two happened to be staying in the same hotel. The hotel staff was clear that no other guest’s bodyguards could be allowed inside the premises with weapons when a head of state was residing in the hotel. This created a fair amount of confusion with the hotel ultimately making an exception only when the local police stood guarantee.
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DNA India article:
It looks like India is fast becoming a popular holiday destination, not just for rich and famous celebs like Lindsay Lohan and Liz Hurley, but for the world’s power elite as well. The last fortnight of December saw the second most powerful man in the US, Barack Obama’s chief of staff and key aide Rahm Emanuel, relaxing in India with his wife, three kids and another couple and their daughter.
Their itinerary included Rajasthan, Agra and Corbett National Park. Normally leaky government channels managed to keep the high profile visit a tightly-held state secret almost till the very end. It was “outed” only on their final stop in Delhi whose eyes and ears never miss anything, especially a VVIP visitor.
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Hosting Emanuel in Delhi was an interesting challenge for the Manmohan Singh government and the PMO rose to the occasion with some out-of-the-box thinking to amuse a visitor who is obviously key to building a rapport with Obama. When the PM visited Washington in November, Emanuel had spoken about his upcoming holiday in India and expressed his desire to see Delhi’s famous Walled City. Accordingly, the PMO arranged a trip to Khari Baoli and the PM’s media advisor Harish Khare was deputed to take Emanuel and his entourage around the crowded wholesale market.
The White House chief of staff is apparently a spice connoisseur and he happily spent the morning sniffing and examining 12 varieties of red chillies, nine varieties of turmeric, shikakai, reetha and other exotic roots and powders. The sights and smells held him spellbound and he didn’t turn a hair at the crowds milling around in the narrow lanes.
Surprisingly, nor did his Secret Service security agents. Unlike our SPG, which believes in heavyhanded methods like sanitising entire neighbourhoods for a VIP visit, US security takes crowds in its stride and works around them. Maybe the SPG should pick up some tips on how not to be obtrusive.
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The hurly-burly of the old city was followed by lunch at Maurya Sheraton’s famed Bukhara restaurant, hosted by National Security Advisor M K Narayanan. The afternoon was spent strolling through Rashtrapati Bhavan’s elegant Mughal Garden. Evening was private time for Emanuel to ring in the new year with his family and friends. And so ended an important personal visit.
An official described the trip as an “intensely private” one but can a key Obama aide like Emanuel be spared for a fortnight just to vacation in India? PMO sources are tightlipped but there is speculation that Emanuel flew out to do a reccee for a visit by Obama and decided to combine business with pleasure. In which case, we can expect the US President to come calling very soon.
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Tailpiece It’s never pure vacation for the powerful. Even as he played tourist, Emanuel kept a close eye on a crucial vote in the US Senate which was scheduled to consider Obama’s controversial healthcare reform bill on December 21. The White House needed 60 votes to get the bill through. With the Democrats numbering 58, the government was two votes short. Emanuel had tied up one independent vote before coming to India. He bagged the critical 60th vote from here over telephone, using the “battering ram” political skills for which he is known.
False prophet setting the stage for something no doubt...
And, evidently, Emanuel is taking credit for turning Ben Nelson.
Did he come up with the inventive "Free Ride for Nebraska", I wonder. Harry Reid and Barbara Boxer have taken credit for the abortion amendment. But, to my knowledge, the Nebraska Medicaid deal is a bastard child.
It was India media that reported that when India came over to FBI in US about the Mubai attack the FBI shut them out.
Once again forein media is more reliable than ours.
I had no idea Rahm had left the country prior to the senate vote, did you?
His choice of India is interesting, given the security breach at the WH the night of the dinner for the PM. Nice of his media advisor to show Rahm a nice time...
We're getting awfully chummy with India lately and less so with China it seems.
Hear this, Republican Congresspeople who need to deal with Rahm? Wear a little bag of rare Napalese tumeric around your neck to the meeting, and you will completely distract the sniffing ballerina.
Call me crazy but I think he's been fond of "chilli peppers" for some time now.
They always are.
Until May 2007, Meera Devi rose before dawn each day and walked a half mile to a vegetable patch outside the village of Kachpura to find a secluded place.
Dodging leering men and stick-wielding farmers and avoiding spots that her neighbors had soiled, the mother of three pulled up her sari and defecated with the Taj Mahal in plain view.
Just like last year, when he disappeared on a “planned” (sure) trip to Africa. Not one sighting of him there, not one photo. He was doing cleanup and no doubt he is up to something in India too.
Probably setting up non-extradition agreements via payoffs in Bombay.
Geez, do we need a pared down government.
We never got Emmanuel family photos of the safari to Kenya last year, either
PS:
Did Karl Rove or Andy Card travel with secret service protection?
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