Everyone Must Sacrifice… Obama’s Vacation Will Cost Taxpayers $1,474,200

In January 2009, before the president signed his failed $787 billion stimulus bill into law, Barack Obama lectured America saying,

“Everyone must sacrifice for the greater good… Everyone must have some skin in the game.”

Everyone but Barack and Michelle Obama.

The president’s latest vacation will cost taxpayers over a million dollars.
Via the Hawaii Reporter:

President Barack Obama and his family and friends are enjoying a seemingly quiet Christmas vacation.

They could have chosen a less expensive and more secure place to stay such as a beachfront home on the Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station – just a two-minute drive away from the Kailuana Place property where they are now. The president visits the military base daily to workout, bowl with his kids or enjoy the more private beach there. He also could have stayed at a home 15 minutes away on the beach fronting Bellows Air Force Base as President Bill Clinton did

Instead, Obama and his friends annually pool their money to pay for the rental of three luxury beachfront homes. The so-called “Winter White House” – or Kailua home that the president rents two weeks a year – can cost an estimated $3,500 a day or $75,000 a month, according to the web site Gadling.com. The site describes the home where the President sleeps: “The 7,000 square foot home features 5 bedrooms, 5 ½ bathrooms, a media room with surround sound, a kitchen suited for a master chef, a dining room and great room, a secluded lagoon-style pool with tropical waterfalls and a lavish island spa. The ocean lanai and garden lanai showcase ornate landscaping and stunning views of Kailua Bay and Mount Olomana.”

…With estimates secured from a host of professionals, city officials and law enforcement, Hawaii Reporter estimates costs to taxpayers will at least include:

* Mrs. Obama’s early flight to Hawaii: $63,000 (White House Dossier)
* Obama’s round trip flight to Hawaii: $1 million (GAO estimates)
* Housing in beachfront homes for Secret Service and Seals in Kailua ($1,200 a day for 14 days): $16,800
* Costs for White House staff staying at Moana Hotel: $134,400 ($400 per day for 24 staff) – excluding meals and other room costs
* Police overtime: $250,000 (2009 costs reported by Honolulu Police Department)
* Ambulance: $10,000 (City Spokesperson)
* TOTAL COST: $1,474,200

Sacrifice is for the little people.

gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com

PGA Producer Wishes He Could Golf as Much as Obama

By way of Politico, here’s today’s Obama-hits-the-links update…

Human Events Senior Editor Emily Miller Twittered about how many rounds of golf Obama is up to these days:

This prompted John Kim, who is a coordinating producer for PGA.com, to respond this way:


Kim later noted how he should get elected president so he’d have more time to play golf. Careful dude, those deat… er, I mean — “end of life counseling committees” — aren’t just going to be for old people, you know.

But let’s not forget that golf can be a dangerous game, as the president found out yesterday in Hawaii:

“Your putting’s on fire,” Mr. Obama told Mr. Nesbitt on the ninth hole at the Mid Pacific Country Club here, where a presidential fivesome — including Mr. Nesbitt, Eric Whitaker, Mike Ramos and Bobby Titcomb, friends of the president from Chicago and Hawaii — spent much of the afternoon. The private club, in the ritzy neighborhood of Lanikai, boasts what its Web site calls a “highly acclaimed golf course” that has “hosted some of the finest golfers in the world.”

The pool of reporters traveling with Mr. Obama was allowed to watch from a balcony overlooking the course, where about 30 camera-toting onlookers also stood. Mr. Obama approached the green driving his own cart, with his left leg dangling out of the vehicle.

He shot a 5 on the ninth hole. At one point, as Dr. Whitaker took his approach shot from behind a tree in the rough, the ball whizzed past the president, missing him by about two feet.

It missed Obama by two feet, but it only missed TOTUS by one foot. That was a close one!

Whitaker… that’s not the same guy who elbowed Obama during a basketball game, is it? If so, the Secret Service might want to keep a closer eye on him.

Speaking of Obama’s golfing partners, tell me Bill Clinton wouldn’t have killed to have a guy named “Titcomb” in his inner circle when he was president (though I’ve heard unsubstantiated rumors that it was Bill’s Secret Service code name for a short time).

Doug Powers - michellemalkin.com

Top Obama Intelligence Official Wasn’t Aware Of London Terror Plot

The news of a thwarted terror attack in London, that was possibly aimed at the United States, broke going on two days ago. When the news was roughly a day old, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was asked about the arrests in London…and he didn’t know about them.

From ABC News:

“First of all, London,” Sawyer said. “How serious is it? Any implication that it was coming here? … Director [of National Intelligence] Clapper?”

“London?” James Clapper said, before Brennan entered the conversation explaining the arrests.

Later in the interview, Sawyer returned to the subject.

“I was a little surprised you didn’t know about London,” Sawyer told Clapper.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t,” he replied.

Well, that should inspire a warm, safe feeling for Americans heading into the holidays.

If this guy isn’t even reading the publicly-available news about terror plots, is he paying attention to all the intelligence he has access to as part of his job?

sayanythingblog.com

Everyone Must Sacrifice… Michelle Obama’s Special Hawaii Trip Will Cost Taxpayers $63,000

In January 2009, before the president signed his failed $787 billion stimulus bill into law, Barack Obama lectured America saying,

“Everyone must sacrifice for the greater good… Everyone must have some skin in the game.”

Everyone but Barack and Michelle Obama.

Not only are the Obamas taking another vacation this year, this time to Hawaii, but Michelle Obama’s special trip will cost taxpayers an additional $63,000.
The White House Dossier reported:

The decision by First Lady Michelle Obama to leave on schedule for her two-week Hawaii vacation and not wait a few days for her delayed husband will probably cost taxpayers more than $63,000 in additional expenses, according to a White House Dossier analysis.

President Obama was supposed to depart for Hawaii Saturday, but decided to stay in Washington until Congress finishes its work for the year. He’s now expected to depart today or tomorrow. But Mrs. Obama chose to leave without him Saturday, taking their two children and the dog along with her.

Mrs. Obama’s decision to go without the president forced her to take a separate plane, meaning two flights instead of one were needed to ferry the First Family to their vacation destination. Unless for some reason her plane was headed to Hawaii anyway, her trip involves substantial additional costs.

Sacrifice is for the little people.

gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com

Wikileaks: Obama Regime Knew Ousted Honduran Leader Was Socialist Pig – Backed Him to Please Chavez

Unbelievable. The Obama Administration knew that Manuel Zelaya was an anti-democratic anti-Semitic pig whose goal was to become ruler for life like his buddy Hugo Chavez. But, Team Obama decided to support him for the greater good of Latin American relations. Barack Obama even cut off aid to Honduras in order to appease tyrant Hugo Chavez.

Birds of a feather…

(Michael Ramirez)
The news that President Obama cut off aid to American ally Honduras did not make many headlines. Barack Obama openly sided with Marxists Raul Castro, Hugo Chavez and Daniel Ortega in punishing the government of Honduras.

The Wall Street Journal reported, via Weasel Zippers:

Lots of hypotheses have been floated to explain why the Obama administration went to such extremes last year to try to force Honduras to reinstate deposed president Manuel Zelaya.

Now the release of two WikiLeaked cables from the U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa strengthens one of those theories: that the U.S. knew Mr. Zelaya was a threat to democratic Honduras but had decided the country should tolerate his constitutional violations in the interest of realpolitik.

Practically speaking, Hugo Chávez was the man to please. After a decade in power, the president of Venezuela’s influence around the region was notable. George W. Bush had clashed with him. Barack Obama was out to prove that they could get along, as evidenced by the warm handshake at the Summit of the Americas in Port of Spain in April 2009.

Honduras offered a bonding opportunity. Mr. Zelaya was a protégé of Mr. Chávez. Standing up for him as democratically elected was a way to score points with Latin America’s hard left.

But Honduras wasn’t willing to play the sacrificial lamb. When its other branches of government removed him from office last year, it caught Hugo Llorens, the U.S. ambassador, flat-footed. Saving face became the top priority.

Mr. Ford’s cable, written as he was turning his post over to Mr. Llorens after a three-year assignment in Tegucigalpa, supports this premise.

Instead of supporting Honduras Obama officials compared the interim leader to Napoleon.

gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com

Bo Obama Faced Possible Quarantine in Hawaii, Asked to Produce Papers

Here’s what troubles me about this: If you just wanna take your dog out for ice cream in Hawaii and you don’t have your papers, you’re gonna get harassed — that just doesn’t seem right:

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – While President Barack Obama and his family have been coming to Hawaii for vacation almost every year, it will be the first island visit for “First Dog” Bo. If he passes a veterinary exam when he lands, he’ll be allowed to follow the Obama ohana to Kailua immediately.

He can do so under the state’s “Five-Day-Or-Less” quarantine program, which has been on the books since 2003. Bo met the requirements, but the process began months in advance.

“It would take at least four months to qualify for the Five-Day-Or-Less quarantine, which has a provision for direct release at the airport if the owners do things as required,” said state Agriculture Department spokeswoman Janelle Saneishi.

For starters, there’s a $165 fee per pet. The dog or cat also has to have had at least two rabies shots in its lifetime, with the most recent one at least 90 days before it travels to Hawaii. It also has to have a microchip for identification, and have a blood test for rabies. Then there’s a 120-day wait after the animal passes the blood test before it can enter the state. There’s also paperwork to certify that all the requirements have been met.

Wow, that’s more thorough vetting than the MSM did on Bo’s master in 2008.

There is a rumor going around that Bo didn’t have the proper paperwork to enter Hawaii but they let him in anyway — but that’s coming from a group of conspiracy nuts known as “Woofers” so just disregard it.

Doug Powers - michellemalkin.com

Sarah Palin Dedicates Her S’mores To Michelle Obama

“Dessert is not a right,” says Michelle Obama. “[Americans] do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish,” says President Obama’s Justice Department.

“Have another s’more,” says Sarah Palin.

After whitewater rafting, it was back to the road, where the family and extended family made s’mores. “Where are the s’mores ingredients?” Sarah asked, after she vacuumed the floor of the RV. When she found them, she declared, “This is in honor of Michelle Obama, who said the other day we should not have dessert.”

sayanythingblog.com

For The First Time Since Its Passage, Majority Of Americans Think Obamacare Will Be Repealed

A recent court ruling in Virginia, holding that the central plan of Obamacare (the health insurance mandate) is unconstitutional no doubt has a lot to do with this surge in sentiment:

For the first time since Democrats in Congress passed the health care bill in March, a majority of U.S. voters believe the measure is likely to be repealed.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 52% of Likely U.S. Voters think it is at least somewhat likely that the health care plan will be repealed. Thirty-three percent (33%) view repeal as unlikely. Those figures include 16% who believe repeal is Very Likely and 5% who believe it is Not at All Likely. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

The number who view repeal as Likely is up from 47% last month and from 38% in early April. Belief that the plan is likely to be repealed has been hovering in the 40% range in surveys since April but began to rise in late October. Last week, a federal judge found a key provision in the law to be unconstitutional.

Note that another challenge to Obamacare ongoing in a federal court in Florida has inspired some criticism of the health insurance mandate from a judge as well. I don’t think the legal challenges to Obamacare are going to be settled anywhere short of the Supreme Court, but it’s clear that the legal victories (both won and impending) are bolstering the public’s anticipation of Obamacare being scrapped.

sayanythingblog.com

Team Obama Propaganda Department Buys Google’s “Obamacare” Search Records

The most open and honest administration in history.
Team Obama purchased top billing to divert internet surfers away from hostile anti-Obamacare websites.

Your tax dollars at work…
The Blaze reported:

Type in a search of “ObamaCare” into Google — the world’s most popular search engine — and the results may surprise you. According to Politico’s Ben Smith, the Obama administration has purchased top billing to divert internet surfers away from antagonist websites to a new “sponsored link” — the Department of Health and Human Service’s (HHS) healthcare.gov:

“We are using a bunch of search term[s] to help point people to HealthCare.gov. Part of our online efforts to help get accurate information to people about the new law (i.e. also use Facebook, Twitter, blogs and webcasts),” an HHS official confirmed by e-mail.

The ad buy represents a kind of recognition that the Administration has, to a degree, lost a battle over defining its terms, and that “ObamaCare” — coined and used largely by detractors of the plan — is in wide circulation. A search for the term on Google yields 2.5 million results.

gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com

Governor-Elect Nikki Haley To Obama: “The People of South Carolina Want Their Money Back”

South Carolina Governor-elect Nikki Haley confronted President Obama this week during his meeting with the nation’s governors.

Haley told the president that if his administration does not honor the federal government’s nuclear energy commitments then,
“The people of South Carolina want their money back.”

The Post and Courier reported:

Haley said she also asked the president if he would honor the federal government’s commitment on developing a nuclear waste repository. When he said he would not revisit opening Nevada’s Yucca Mountain, “I said, ‘Then give us our money back.’ ”

The site 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas was proposed to house more than 4,000 metric tons of high-level nuclear waste from South Carolina’s Savannah River Site. The state and Washington have sued over Obama’s attempt to kill plans for the storage site after decades of study.

“SRS has done a good job, but that was a temporary solution. It was never meant to be a permanent solution,” Haley said she told him. “The federal government has reneged on its promise, and the people of South Carolina want their money back.”

South Carolina’s power plants and its customers have contributed more than $1 billion over nearly 30 years to a permanent repository.

She says Obama pledged that he would have Energy secretary Steven Chu call her promptly.

“I will wait for that phone call, and if I don’t get it, I will be calling, but I feel he was being genuine,” she said.

gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com

Obama’s Deficit Commission Concludes That Obamacare Adds Significantly To The Deficit

Remember that Obamacare’s alleged savings on government spending were a big selling point for Democrats when they were pushing the bill. Of course, any honest observer of that legislation knew the notion that Obamacare would actually reduce deficits, or even just be deficit neutral, was an absolute fairy tale. But now we have confirmation.

From Obama’s own deficit commission:

2) Health reform’s cost savings apparently were bogus. Remember how Democrats boasted that health reform would cut the budget deficit by $170 billion over the next decade and far more after that? The deficit commission must not have gotten that memo. It says health spending projections under the new law “count on large phantom savings” and the reform law’s new long-term care program that the report calls “unsustainable.” As a result, Congress will still need to enact “a number of other reforms to reduce federal health spending and slow the growth of health care costs more broadly.” …

5) Obama is a big spender. Although President Barack Obama has talked about fiscal discipline — and set up this deficit commission — his own budget plan would spend $350 billion more on so-called discretionary programs over the next decade than if the government were just left on autopilot, according to the report.

What’s ironic is that Senator Kent Conrad, who is even now touting the commissions final report and will no doubt vote for it tomorrow as a member of the commission, has told his constituents here in North Dakota repeatedly that Obamacare doesn’t add to the national debt. That it doesn’t create deficits. That, in fact, it may well reduce deficits.

Maybe now we can finally get hypocrites like Conrad to stop lying.

sayanythingblog.com

‘And the Host Country for the 2022 World Cup Will Be…’; Update: Obama Says ‘Wrong Decision’

Presidents Obama and Clinton lobbied FIFA hard, as did Eric Holder, who traveled to Switzerland to help sell the US as the location for the World Cup (it’s not like the Attorney General has anything better to worry about).

That’s a lot of political fire-power and enormously respected global prestige (just ask them). Did it work?

Nope:

America has lost out in its bid to host the 2022 World Cup finals.

The Go USA bid was pipped to the post by Qatar, who beat competition from Australia, South Korea and Japan as it netted the award to host nation for the forthcoming soccer event.

The Arab nation were the hot favourites to win the right to host the event, having ploughed millions into their campaign.

The FIFA committee ignored the fact that the country has practically none of the stadia or infrastructure required, which the USA already has in place.

Reverse Midas Touch confirmed yet again. Obama should be happy though because of the “Muslim outreach” angle of FIFA’s history-making decision.

US taxpayers took it in the shorts to the tune of well over a million dollars when the President and First Lady went to Copenhagen to lobby to have the 2016 Olympic Games in Chicago. No telling yet what the cost of this failed World Cup bid will end up being.

Next time Obama should take a lesson from Vladimir Putin, who refused to make a pitch to FIFA for his country to host the 2018 World Cup. So naturally, Russia was chosen.

Update: Obama says FIFA made “the wrong decision.” He still hasn’t said a thing about Wikileaks though, as far as I know.

Update II: Martin Rogers at Yahoo! Sports stumbles upon an irony thicket:

Why Qatar?

At best, the FIFA executive committee voters were whimsical enough to be sold on a dream that has little footing in reality. The sales pitch was one of gleaming, futuristic stadiums, a foothold in the uncharted soccer waters of the Middle East and the chance for FIFA to blaze a trail by embracing a fast-emerging economic power.

Sound like a somewhat familiar strategy? If Obama should be angry at anything, it’s that Qatar infringed on the copyright of the Hope & Change sales pitch, circa 2008.

Doug Powers - michellemalkin.com