Michelle’s Separate Travel Costs Taxpayers Thousands
Keith Koffler
White House Dossier
8/18/2011
Michelle Obama and President Obama traveled to Martha’s Vineyard just hours apart, costing taxpayers thousands in additional expenses so she could have just a bit of extra vacation time.
Mrs. Obama and her daughters arrived just before 2 pm Thursday on a U.S. government jet, according to the Martha’s Vineyard Times, which got its information from the local airport. The first lady’s office has been silent on her travel. President Obama arrived in the evening along with the family dog Bo.
The extra costs related to Mrs. Obama’s solo trip mainly include the flight on a specially designed military aircraft she took instead of Air Force One, as well as any extra staff and Secret Service that had to be enlisted to go with her. She would also have had her own motorcade from the airport to her vacation residence.
Mrs. Obama’s separate jet travel sends the wrong message on a host of issues, from global warming to the budget deficit to the economy – in which currently so many people can’t afford to take a vacation at all.
This is not the first time Michelle has gone on vacation ahead of the president on the taxpayers’ tab. Last December, she racked up what was likely more than $100,000 in expenses leaving early for their Hawaii vacation.
Thanks to one of our readers, who goes by Lizzy, for noting the double dip.
H/T Weasel Zippers: King Barack And Queen Michelle Fly Separate Jets To Martha’s Vineyard Only Hours Apart, Taxpayers Stuck With The Bill…
Related: At HotAir.com:
A Twitter friend insists that this is apples and oranges because Reagan and Bush were “vacationing” at their homes/ranches whereas The One’s on a true holiday up at the Vineyard. There’s something to that, but it’s not the home/hotel distinction. Like Krauthammer said last night on Fox, the optics of clearing brush are waaaaay different from the optics of hobnobbing with the creme de la creme of tax-me-more liberal millionaires. He might as well have gone to Aspen and done a photo op with Barbra Streisand of the two of them drinking thousand-dollar champagne.
Maybe Peggy Noonan’s right. Maybe this guy doesn’t much care what people think anymore …
