Mumbai: The US would be spending a whopping $200 million per day on President Barack Obama’s visit to the city.
“The huge amount of around $200 million would be spent on security, stay and other aspects of the Presidential visit,” a top official of the Maharashtra Government privy to the arrangements for the high-profile visit said.
Can someone do the accounting on this fiasco? A trip to India is going to cost over a billion dollars by the time it is over? Are we hosting them in their own country or what? Beers for everyone in India?
#58 Glass, please have something better than a source that only quotes the White House as saying, “No we didn’t.” The White House also said that no one making under $250,000 will see a tax increase and we are all getting a tax increase in January.
#23 JCD
I like that more incremental BS meter
A Mumbai-style of attack could happen anywhere and you cant stay out of everywhere.
Foreign trips like this are one of the principal things presidents do. One of our nations best assets in Obama is the rest of the world loves him, he can help restore our standing in the world. India is a major and growing economic and military power. It’s next door neighbor and chief rival is the not so stable and hotspot Pakistan. As a taxpayer I’m just fine with this trip.
If you have a President like Bush send him to Riyadh, if you have a President like Obama Mumbai. Yes these trips are expensive lets get the most for our money.
NDTV is a well respected TV channel. They were the pioneers but they are no longer #1. Still, they manage to scoop the competition every now and then. Yes, this report might be true. When someone in the government wants to leak information, they think of Times of India or NDTV.
This trip is supposed to be the longest Obama is going to have abroad or in Asia at least. When Clinton came, India threw a big welcome for him and he benefited from a lot of good PR.
The Obama people realize this and they want to make the most of it. That is why they insisted on him visiting Nariman Point, which is in the financial district and is one of the most crowded places in the world. He also wanted visit all the sites of the 26/11 attack because the entire visit is meant for the audience back in the US and Americans are big suckers for terrorism fears. His folks are going to make the most of the media contigent that are shipped here.
Now, the $200 million figure could be true. When Bush came, they converted the hotel into a fortness – no exaggeration. It was like when the Soviet President visited the West. They shipped everything back from home. This is a bonanza for American companies, rather than for Indians. US government is going to pay the bills to those guys who may have to pay Indian contractors.
Note on 26/11: The 26/11 attack dragged on for days because it was meant for television and was to be used to shock the world. Officials here delayed the counter attack citing bogus reasons. Mumbai is also home to a naval base and several military installations are stationed here. Yet, they waited for a counter-terrorism unit from far away.
To all you non-believers out there in liberal land, here is some information pulled from today’s Drudge Report.
$200 million a day seems quite realistic when you take a look at this partial list of Obama’s entourage:
A fleet of 34 warships, including an aircraft carrier, have been moved to patrol the sea lanes off the Mumbai coast during his two-day stay.
While traveling on the ground, there will be a fleet of over 40 cars part of Obama’s convoy and two jets, armed with advanced communication and security systems.
13 heavy-lift aircraft with high-tech equipment, three helicopters and 500 US security personnel have arrived in India ahead of Obama’s visit.
Circular press engineering. Bachmann and Co planted the fake news, then responded to it. This is state-run media at its finest.
When Cooper confronted Bachmann with the fact that the White House says the figures are inflated, she dismissed that line of argument.
“And that may be what the White House is stating,” Bachmann said. “But again, we have never seen a trip at this level before, of this level of excess. And I think it’s not a good signal to send to the American people, when the American people are, quite frankly, struggling right now with high job losses.”
Anderson said that “frankly, no one really knows the cost, because for security reasons, they don’t disclose the costs, so this idea that its $200 million or whatever is simply made up.”
“Well these are the numbers that have been coming out in the press,” Bachmann said.
Dvorak, you posted a wonderful picture for this post, with Obama smiling in a money shower.
Dvorak, you were used, successfully.
How does it feel to be a patsy?
John “Patsy” Dvorak
has a nice ring to it.
The right wing issue with Obama has nothing to do with the cost, it is because they can’t stomach the fact Obama is black. They are simply racists. And JCD should have not be as dumb as this to even entertain spreading BS like this. I lost respect for the guy.
And here I thought doing business was supposed to be cheap. So much for their supposed cost advantage.
on what fucking planet do you dipshits live on if you think the $200 million A FUCKING DAY it true? The pentagon today even debunked the 34 warships off the coast of india. The war in Afghanistan costs $190 million a day you dumbfucks. use your fucking heads here. EVERY PRESIDENT goes to India for visits. Where you stupid shits when Bush and Clinton went?
Snopes says no:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/india.asp
FactCheck says bs:
http://factcheck.org/2010/11/ask-factcheck-trip-to-mumbai/
Perhaps you should stop reading Drudge.
Okay, the White House finally got around to denying it.
It most likely isn’t 200,000,000 a day but I’d bet anything they don’t have a clue what it is costing. Transportation food and housing for 3000 people including a significant military force. Ouch!
If we knew I’m pretty sure we’d borrow a the line from the candidate from New York. It’s to dxxxxx high.
Well at least for that kind of money he shouldn’t be attacked by one of those rambunctious monkeys.
I really don’t know what’s funnier. The Republicans attacking Obama for what Bush did, or the Democrats attacking Bush for the same thing Obama did. Seriously, all of you idiots are completely retarded.
Seriously, why the HELL do ANY of our Presidents make these trips? Does America not employ ambassadors to do this shit, and cheaper? No President can preside over his own damn country for 4 – 8 years? How hard is it to do your damn job for 4 – 8 years and enjoy retirement for the rest of your life?
If a country’s leader wants to meet the President, then I have no problem with us sending a private jet to fly them here executive style. Give them a fighter jet escort. I really don’t care.
The amount of money we spend yearly on Presidential intercontinental travel is uncanny. Defending it is just partisan dick riding. It was wrong when Bush did it. It was wrong when Obama does it.
And now for more evidence of why America is becoming a third world country:
a) “Journalists” like those of Fox News and JCD quoting unsubstantiated (and ultimately ridiculously wrong) reports, worded in such a way as to be presented as facts, then hiding behind a “?” as an excuse when they are shown to be FOS.
b) People that jump on every story printed as if it were true, if it fits their agenda. Earth 6012 years old… yes! Temperature trends can be ignored! Yes!… Obama is a secret Muslim terrorist plant! Yes!
c) Politicians like Bachman and Palin that use false information like this to discredit and diminish the respectability of their own country.
d) Other politicians publicly stating that they would rather see America fail than move forward under a leader (any leader) of the opposing party.
We are in a downward spiral of gullibility, intentional misinformation, lack of honor and accountability, with so-called journalists and commentators (Limbaugh and Beck) leading the decline of core American values. And as thhis week’s elections show, it is working, the American people are being led by the nose down the path of ignorance and corporate slavery.
We are so screwed
Quit defending one side. The democrats spent Bush’s entire 8 years destroying his character for no other reason then that he wasn’t a great public speaker, and you expect the republicans to do any less? You are a fucking idiot.
You love to say “So called journalists” when the left have just as many “so called journalists” if not more.
BOTH SIDE ARE EXACTLY AND TOTALLY THE SAME!
You partisan whores think your shit doesn’t stink? Do you honestly think the partisan hackery that CNN, MSNBC, or any other news source is any less/more one sided and full of shit than Fox News is? If so, you are a hypocrite.
If you view politics as democrat and republic, then you are a useless human being that has played it’s part in fucking up this country. Of course, then again, no rain drop feels it’s responsible for the flood.
#60 Good response, but predictable.
I was expecting the “neener, neener, you do it too” response.
However, I suppose somewhere in there, you agreed this is not a good thing.
smartalix is sane
I will tell you unequivocably, I am not making this up. This has been reported. Go to the Internet. Go take a look.
Eric Bolling (Fox News) on this story
#75 – Derek: “The democrats spent Bush’s entire 8 years destroying his character for no other reason then that he wasn’t a great public speaker…”
Uh, wrong. We hated Bush because he started two wars for no good reason, borrowing the money to pay for them, thus bankrupting the country and ended up never catching OBL or even caring that he didn’t. If that isn’t a legitimate reason to hate that fuckwit and his dead-hearted zombie Cheney, than I don’t know what is.
(sarcasm)Remember John: It’s Bush’s fault that the POTUS is the riskiest person to be. Obama is just accepting and “changing” (as in doing the same but differently) it.
(/sarcasm)
#65 The blind fighting for his right to stay so. Good for you.