Obama: Marine One needs lube, that's all

[babylonsister]

http://www.swamppolitics.com/news/politics/blog/2009/02/obama_marine_one_needs_lube_th.html

Obama: Marine One needs lube, that's all
Posted February 23, 2009 5:45 PM



Marine One takes off carrying President Barack Obama and family from Burnham Park in Chicago. The government may cancel a six-year-old contract to provide the White House with a new fleet of helicopters. (Photo by Jeff Haynes / pool /l via Bloomberg News)
The Swamp

by Mark Silva

snip//

Obama called the contract with Lockheed Martin Corp. "an example of the procurement process gone amok," and suggested he doesn't need a new aircraft.

The subject of the chopper came up when someone who would have loved to claim the presidential seat in Marine One asked about it today:

"Your helicopter is now going to cost as much as Air Force One,'' Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told Obama at the summit. "Mr. President, we are going to have to make some tough decisions about not only what we procure but how we procure it. ''

"Well John, I mean, this,'' Obama replied. "This is going to be one of our highest priorities. By the way, I've already talked to Gates about a thorough review of the helicopter situation. ...The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me,'' he said to laughter. "Of course, I've never had a helicopter before....You know? Maybe, you know -- maybe I've been deprived and I... I didn't know it.

"But I think it is a -- it is a -- an example of the procurement process gone amok. And -- and we're going to have to fix it.''

The estimated cost of each chopper has grown by $124 million, about 50 percent, since the government set out to replace the old fleet of choppers - only the one the president is riding at the time is known as Marine One.

more...

[liberal N proud]

1. That was a great smack down of Grumpy McCain

:rofl:

[XemaSab]

2. Marines + lube =

:9

[Jackeens]

6. Oooooooooh............

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Captain Hilts]

7. Where Jeff Gannon????

[Uzybone]

3. McCain is just pissed he didn't get a chance to crash it

Thats the only thing he is good at.

[treestar]

19. LOL

DUzy!

[Spazito]

4. LOL, I love how Obama gives the smack-down on multiple levels...

He makes it clear he was way ahead of mccain and had already begun to deal with the "helicopter issue" and, imo, reminds us that, unlike him, mccain might well have a helicopter in his wife's fleet and hasn't been "deprived".

:rofl:

[liberalmuse]

10. And his "smack down" consists of...

intelligent answers to stupid, manipulative questions. That is the absolute worst thing he could do to the 'pubs. Address their pettiness, stupidity and meanspiritedness with intelligent, concise, straightforward answers and, after that, decisive action.

McCain looked oh so vulnerable and "nice" when asking that question, but you just know he's pissed because he feels he should be the one in that 'copter instead of the man who actually earned it.

[Spazito]

12. Yep, and he gives those answers with a sense of humor...

which drives people like McCain crazy because they have no come-back.

[davidpdx]

25. I appreciated that as well

when I saw the clip online. He defuses the situation so well with humor. In a way, he was kind of poking fun at himself with the whole, "I've been deprived of a helicopter" bit. How he comes up with this stuff off the cuff is beyond me.

[salguine]

5. Lemme get this straight...if the amount of the cost increase—$124 million—is 50 percent, then

this thing costs, for all intents and purposes, a quarter of a BILLION dollars.

How in the living motherFUCK do you MAKE a HELICOPTER cost a QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS!? Yeah, I know it's Marine One and it has special features and shit, but come the fuck ON! Any helicopter with that kind of a price tag had better be able to travel through fucking TIME.

And the White House wanted a FLEET of these things!?

[PM Martin]

8. The anti nuclear electromagnetic shield is not cheap!

[hedgehog]

23. Not to mention being able to handle the atmospheric disturbances when this happens:

[babylonsister]

9. Would that have been the price tag for the whole fleet? nt

[salguine]

18. The article states,

"The estimated cost of EACH CHOPPER has grown by $124 million, about 50 percent, since the government set out to replace the old fleet of choppers (emphasis mine)."

[babylonsister]

21. Oops, thanks. Here's part of the reason it's so expensive...

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/03/17/Marine_One_one_expensive_helicopter/UPI-90241205758385/

snip//

Each helicopter runs about $400 million because they will be outfitted with anti-missile systems, jamming devices and a hull that is resistant to the aftereffects of a nuclear explosion in order to protect the president.

[Frustratedlady]

11. Eighteen sticks in my mind, but I've been wrong before.

Whatever the number, it was a shocker.

Of course, now, he'll be accused of shutting some plant down because he pulled the contract. He can't win.

[billybob537]

14. I believe it was TWENTY EIGHT

[billybob537]

15. 28 ugly ass Italian choppers

That look like a tampon for gadzilla!

[Andy823]

13. I am a bit confused.

First off did McCain complain about his when Bush ordered them? Second I heard that it was a company in Italy that was getting the contact, heard this from a republican that accused Obama of giving billions to another country instead of building them in the U.S., am I wrong, or is Lockheed now in Italy?

From another article I read some place, it stated that the contract with the Italian company was pay back for Italy helping with the yellow cake memos, at least I think that's what I read, anybody know about that?

[nc4bo]

16. Yep, Hissyspit created a nice post about this very thing...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5095965&mesg_id=5095965

McCain didn't have jacksh*t to say at the time.

[Andy823]

24. Thanks

That was where I saw it.

[Clio the Leo]

17. And you KNOW McCain worked on his little question all weekend.....

.... how mean for the President to shoot it down (pardon the pun) like that! ha ha

[AnnieBW]

20. I'll bet it burns Johnny Mac's Wrinkled Balls

to call "That one" "Mr. President".

[alcibiades_mystery]

22. Did newspapers ever signify pauses and repetitions in Bush's statements?

"But I think it is a -- it is a -- an example of the procurement process gone amok. And -- and we're going to have to fix it."

What the fuck is THAT?

[ecstatic]

26. f*ck mcshame and his 11 houses nt