Posted on 06/13/2013 11:35:49 AM PDT by kristinn
When President Obama makes his first extended trip to sub-Saharan Africa this month, the federal agencies charged with keeping him safe won’t be taking any chances.
Hundreds of U.S. Secret Service agents will be dispatched to secure facilities in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. A Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship, with a fully staffed medical trauma center, will be stationed offshore in case of an emergency.
The first family is making back-to-back stops from June 26 to July 3 in three countries where U.S. officials are providing nearly all the resources, rather than depending more heavily on local police forces, military authorities or hospitals for assistance.
The president and first lady had also planned to take a Tanzanian safari as part of the trip, which would have required the president’s special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-caliber rounds that could neutralize cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat, according to the planning document. But the White House canceled the safari Wednesday after inquiries from The Post about the trip’s purpose and expense, according to a person familiar with the decision.
SNIP
One hundred agents are needed as “post-standers” — to man security checkpoints and borders around the president — in each of the first three cities he visits. Sixty-five are needed to meet up with Obama in Dar es Salaam. Before the 2-1 / 2 hour safari in Mikumi National Park was canceled this week, another 35 post-standers had been slated to protect the Obamas and their two daughters there, according to the document.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
I don’t know about anybody else, but I’m rooting for the sub-Saharan lions.
>> I’m rooting for the sub-Saharan lions.
Prolly safer than Detroit.
LOL!
What about all those manpads floating around. Is this really a good idea?
but , no White House Tour
The article does note that Bush 43 took his wife and daughters on a similar trip in 2003 that included a safari. Difference was Bush wasn’t known for spending millions of taxpayer dollars on lux vacays.
"High-caliber rounds." What are we talking here, .88 Magnum? Those things shoot through schools! BTT
Chances are Obama will be in Africa twice in a short time because he’ll return for Mandela’s funeral.
“The cost of the 37 uniformed officers who direct the White House tours is $10,571 a day, according to Brian Leary, a spokesman for the Secret Service.”
Do the math.
Sounding better all the time
Didn’t Clinton go there with some 27 - 747 airplanes and staff that were still landing while he was getting ready to leave?
he will sure be sad when his term comes to an end...and he learns that NO ONE really gives a sh!t about him...
35 EXTRA PEOPLE to GUARD those KIDS??? DON”T TAKE THEM....THIS is SICK...SICK!
WHAT?? You mean they are going to spend 60-100 MILLION DOLLARS of OUR MONEY on this VACATION and we still don’t have WHITE HOUSE TOURS?? OMG!! Marie Antoinette time!!
Yes, and those bullets cost over $100.00 each....and that was 20 YEARS ago!!
Will the beasts and natives be safe from the ‘The Beast’ this trip and I don’t mean Moochelle?
We Can’t send a Carrier to the Persian Gulf but we can turn one into a stand-by Hospital for these Vacationers. Will Chevy Chase be with them?
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