Bush Made 77 Trips to Crawford TX at $226,072 a Pop

[Stephanie]

That's the minimum cost per trip - just the estimated cost of flying Air Force One round trip - about two hours of flight time each way at $56,518 per hour. Now can they shut up about Obama taking a day trip to NYC?

http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20060316113550-47530.pdf

THE COST OF PRESIDENTIAL AND VICE
PRESIDENTIAL POLITICAL TRAVEL
PREPARED FOR
REP. HENRY A.WAXMAN

This report assumes that flight operating costs are $56,518 per hour for Air Force One and $14,552 per hour for Air Force Two. These figures are based on the per hour cost figures cited by GAO for fiscal year 2000, adjusted for inflation.7

According to the Congressional Research Service, the President’s domestic travel also involves the use of accompanying cargo planes.8 This report assumes one cargo plane accompanies the President on each trip at an operating cost per hour of $6,960. This figure is based on the per-hour cost cited by GAO for fiscal year 2000 for the C-17 cargo plane, adjusted for inflation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prairie_Chapel_Ranch

The distance from Crawford to Washington DC is 1295 miles.

http://www.history.com/content/air-force-one/inside-air-force-one

TODAY'S AIR FORCE ONE

Speed: 630 miles per hour

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2009/01/16/politics/politicalhotsheet/entry4728085.shtml

George W. Bush is today making his final visit to Camp David as president.

He will likely miss the place: According to CBS News White House Correspondent Mark Knoller, today's trip marks Mr. Bush's 149th visit to the presidential retreat. The planned three-day stay, during which the president is being joined by family and former and current aides, will bring his total time spent at Camp David to all or part of 487 days.

Yes, that's 487 days. And Camp David is not even where the president has spent the most time when not at the White House: Knoller reports that Mr. Bush has made 77 visits to his ranch in Crawford during his presidency, and spent all or part of 490 days there.

President George Bush rides a mountain bike on his ranch in Crawford, Texas.

http://bicycling.about.com/od/thebikelife/ig/Stars-on-bikes/George-Bush-on-a-bike.htm

[dgibby]

1. You should send this to those idiots at CBS.

[redqueen]

9. Anyone and everyone who's annoyed by their clowning should mention it.

Only takes a few minutes, and it lets them know not everyone just laps up whatever they dish out.

[Ganja Ninja]

2. Funny how all those fiscal conservatives never noticed or complained.

:wtf:

[bdamomma]

3. and they criticize Obama for his trip to NYC???

the media has very short memories.

[Stephanie]

11. Short memories? They never published this fact.

Try looking up the costs for Bush trips to Crawford - nobody ever reported on it. Obama makes a day trip to NYC after six months of work without a single vacation except weekend visits to Camp David, and suddenly the cost of his trip is all over the news. I'm looking now to see how many trips made to Crawford in his first six months. As you'll recall he was on a month-long vacation there in August 2001.

[malaise]

19. No they don't

They know exactly what they're doing. How dare this black man spend tax payers' money. Wink wink!

[bushmeister0]

4. Don't forget the "emergency" flight he made from Crawford back to DC

to sign the Terry Schiavo bill. That was well worth the expense.

[konnichi wa]

7. And the secret trip to Baghdad...to spend an hour carrying a plastic turkey around

:grr:

[Politicalboi]

15. And flying to Arizona for a birthday party

[Raster]

17. ....to carry another plastic turkey around. Oh, wait...that's John McCain.

My bad:spank:

[DURHAM D]

5. Costs not mentioned...

Every time he flew to Crawford all of the commercial flights in about 1/3 to 1/2 of the country were grounded. I missed several flights or flight delays from the east coast to the midwest (and back) because of his constant travel. Those groundings cost me extra money every time and I was not even traveling for business - it was always to address family matters for my elderly parents. I can not even imagine how business travelers felt for eight years about him being constantly in the air.

[Born_A_Truman]

26. Really?

I have never heard that before. Did the airline tell you that's why?

[DURHAM D]

27. Yes. n/t

[devilgrrl]

6. Obama really needs to take more holidays and play more golf.

All work and no play make Barack a dull boy.

[Stephanie]

8. He needs to get a bikey like Junior and wide awound all day

[devilgrrl]

12. and then wipeout on it!!!

Did W need training wheels or what?

[madeline_con]

10. A full 1/3 of his presidencies on vacation. So, STFU Fright Wing! n/t

[bushmeister0]

13. How much did it cost fly his sorry ass to Camp David on Marine One, I wonder?

[Viva_La_Revolution]

14. More ammo for my arsenal.

:evilgrin:

[sonias]

16. Thank you for researching this

Good job!


Sonia

[Stephanie]

18. Cross-posted at Kos

Let's see the MSM ignore this now.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/6/2/738037/-Bush-Made-77-Trips-to-Crawford-TX-at-$226,072-a-Pop

[shireen]

20. Obama didn't even use AF1 for the NY date night

According to MSNBC (I think it was KO), he and Michelle took a Gulfstream. I suspect it's much cheaper than AF1!

[ejpoeta]

22. so then they probably paid for that themselves too! damn talking heads!

they keep trying to makeit sound like we footed the bill for the whole thing! including the show and the dinner. even if they dont say it outright, that is what they are trying to make people think. that's bullshit! bush planned stuff so he could travel to campaign on our dime. where were all these people then!

[ejpoeta]

21. i guess it didn't matter then. because bush was a republican. it makes me sick

how they bitch and moan about obama, who has been busting his ass since the day he took office. asshole bush was on vacation... even when he WASN'T on vacation! and he wasted so much money... on so many things... including how much on a war of choice. why no one brings that up is beyond me! i like how the faux news try to make it sound like we paid for the tickets to the show and the dinner!

[Kadie]

23. Yes, but those were business trips to the Western White House.

:evilgrin:

:hi:

Good info. K&R

[Stephanie]

24. This is at the top of the rec lista at Kos now and up on Google News

Remember you heard it at DU first! :)

http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=bush+crawford+

[redqueen]

28. I wonder if KO will mention it.

I hope he does. :)

[Vinca]

25. It doesn't count if the POTUS is a Republican.

Just like it doesn't count that a Republican administration committed war crimes. Now if it had been a Democratic administration and a land deal . . . or, the horror of it all, a blow job . . . that's an entirely different matter.

[Swamp Rat]

29. Bushler couldn't care less.

[barbtries]

30. they're hypocrites

clutching at nothing. they got nothing.

[Maru Kitteh]

31. K'd and R'd

Ugh. And all we got for it with Bush were those dumb-assed photos of dumb-assed Bush riding some 14 year old kids bike, dumb-ass with a chain saw, dumb ass with a golf club, dumb-ass on a four wheeler, "clearing brush."

[DaveinJapan]

32. Thanks for all the research!

This is excellent ammunition for debates with right wingers. :D

[Quantess]

33. And there it is.

[democracy1st]

34. K & R