Bush Capitalizes On Travel Bargain

[kskiska]

President Uses Air Force One for Price of 1st Class

SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 4 -- When President Bush headed west on Wednesday to raise $1.5 million dollars for his reelection, his campaign enjoyed one of the greatest bargains in American politics: all-day use of Air Force One for the price of a few first-class airfares.

Although the trip had an explicitly political purpose, taxpayers will pick up most of the expenses, as they did for President Bill Clinton and his predecessors. The Republican National Committee has estimated the cost of flying Air Force One at $35,000 or more per hour, but federal rules require the Bush-Cheney campaign to reimburse the government only for the cost of a first-class plane ticket for the president and a handful of political aides who accompany him.

Last week, three days after delivering a tough partisan speech to GOP governors that amounted to his announcement for reelection, Bush flew to Kentucky to collect $1.2 million for a campaign that has raised more than $150 million. Only two aides in his entourage were considered to be on political business, the campaign said.

The taxpayer-subsidized fundraising trips are just one of the ways Bush is maximizing the advantages of incumbency in preparing for his reelection race. For instance, he plans to keep Karl Rove, his top political strategist, on the government payroll throughout the campaign as the White House senior adviser.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A31606-2004Mar4.html

[rainstan]

1. More Tax breaks to make permanent

This is another tax break the Republicans want to make permanent. Win this election and we can forget an\bout ever having to face the voters again, the wording will be included in the Gay marriage amendment, President for life. Bush has learned from Castro.
The calculations on the use of AF-1 do not include the military cover. Don't think that there are not a lot of F-16s lurking around on the route to Cal.

[kskiska]

2. From the article:

Being president also means police officers and Secret Service agents keep demonstrators out of sight and out of earshot. In Louisville, they were corralled across the street from the hotel. So Bush could not hear the chants of, "U-G-L-Y, Bush has got no alibi." And he could not see the signs reading, "Bush Does To Christianity What Osama Does To Islam."

[Lisa]

3. a packet of pretzels in the cargo compartment ...

... is more than that guy deserves!

[FloridaPat]

4. Clinton & his predecessors - Bush and Reagan. This crap

started with those two. Plus, Bush takes all his vacation in one month, but the tax payers are still paying for his time. There should be a lot billed to the republicans - this, Iraq, schools, etc etc.

[drscm]

6. And Clinton was crucified by the media for his fundraising,

while Bush is praised for his adept skill at raking in the money by the same media.

Can someone explain this to me?

[Voltaire99]

5. $35,000/hour would pay for a lot of...

...unemployment benefits

...school supplies

...health insurance

...investigation of corporate crime

Yeah, Clinton, et al, did it, too. I'm just sayin': get some f'ing priorities, Amurrica!

[leetrisck]

7. bush has made a profession out of this

He has been doing it for at least 2 years and every other day is a trip with a fundraiser thrown in so we end up paying. Yes,
Clinton did it but I bet if records are checked, one would find that bush has cost us millions and millions more than Clinton did.

[snippy]

8. The W stands for whore.

Fire the liar.

[salin]

9. In the past, didn't key campaign people always resign from their

political posts. Tradition or legal restrictions? Is the decision to retain Rove as a 'civil servant' (e.g., on the tax payer dole) while he orchestrates the campaign, legal? If it is, shouldn't it become a HUGE issue?