BUSH VISITS OUR PALM SPRINGS AREA; LEAVES WITH $2 MIL; NO PUBLIC APPEARANCES

A FRIEND OF OURS WHO LIVES NEAR PALM SPRINGS AIRPORT EMAILED AFTER SEEING A C5 TRANSPORT NEARLY TAKE THE ROOF OFF HIS HOUSE. OH YEAH, LET THE TRAFFIC BEGIN AND THE AA JET FUEL AND 91 OCTANE FUEL FLOW! FIRE-UP THE CHOPPERS, THE JETS AND THE FIXED-WINGS...AFTER ALL, THE PREZ IS IN TOWN! (Photos by Carey Parker)

The Presidential entourage travels BIG. Can't even imagine fuel costs. Secret Service agents had been at the hotel where Bush was staying for two nights (The Lodge in Rancho Mirage) for well over a week before he arrived. Also, friends who live in Toscana, where he appeared in front of 160 people for a dinner (and picked up a minimum of $2 million for the Republican Party), told us agents had been there for a week to ten days, and were very unobtrusive. They said if not for the actual event (to which they were not invited), they might not have noticed at all.

Bush did spend some time with the Marines in the huge 29 Palms base about 50 miles north of Palm Springs. It was the first time a sitting President had ever visited there.

Bush also visited the home of former President Gerald Ford and spent a few minutes with him and his wife, Betty. They live near the Eisenhower Hospital complex in Rancho Mirage and Mrs. Ford had been at the hospital "for tests" just a few days before Bush's visit.

I don't begrudge the President and other political VIP's and dignitaries the kind of protection they receive, by law, from our government. Certainly the total amount of fuel they all use on a worldwide basis is a "drop in the ocean" when we consider the totals. Still, one must ask if, given the conditions we find the world in today, this kind of gratuitous use of fuel and vehicles of any and all sorts is truly in the best public interest.

As far as the C5 which my friend noted flying quite LOW over his house (nothing much larger than a 737 ever uses our little local Palm Springs International), he was indeed correct.

Having worked in a few political campaigns, I've had some personal experience with these things so will pass along what I know.

They used K-135 planes for years and years, which were the military variants of the Boeing 707 (though they are COMPLETELY different planes, but about the same size, and Boeing built them). However, it took 2 to 3 of those planes to carry everything, so if they are using C5s now, it would not surprise me. Also, C5 Galaxies can land on shorter runways than the loaded K-135s (amazing, eh?).

What’s in them?

The Presidential vehicles for the motorcade. This includes TWO fully-armored Presidential Cadillac DTS limousines (in America, for decades the cars have shifted back and forth between Lincoln and Cadillac. It is of course considered a tremendous honor, not to mention free advertising, for these limos to be used, so the two companies lobby strongly to get the orders, which go out about every 5 years or so).

The Limos are sold to the government; their price is not known. They are believed to cost about $500,000 apiece. They are built by a company called O'GARA HESS AND EISENHARDT which has factories around the world making bullet- and bomb-proof cars and trucks of all kinds for heads of state and wealthy people. They have been in business for over 100 years building specialty vehicles. They were originally located in the American Midwest.

New limos are added to the White House fleet when their Presidential duties are over. “Used” ones are usually sent to places around the country or to US Embassies around the world when and where their use is still needed. The limo which was used the day of the Kennedy assassination was STILL IN USE somewhere in the  world until only about 10 years ago! They get their money’s worth out of them.

Go to steveparker.com…I have a story about the Presidential limo there somewhere. Try THIS address: www.steveparker.com/COOLCARS/pastcoolindex.htm.

Also in the plane(s) with the limo are 1-2 ‘battle wagons’, the big Secret Service Chevy Suburbans you see directly behind the limos in the motorcades. They would also move these trucks to the local area from the nearest big city (in this case, Los Angeles).

These are the ones with the BIG suspensions and wheels. They placed a BIG order for these trucks; you see them in film news footage from all over the world. Interestingly, the most popular vehicle converted for ‘security’ purposes by O'GARA HESS AND EISENHARDT is the JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE, a special favorite because of its off-road abilities. You can get them basic bullet-proofed for about $35,000…they are the favorite of certain “businesspeople” and politicians worldwide, especially in Central and South America.
 
Also on the plane…the PRESIDENTIAL HELICOPTERS! Yep, they fly them in right in the belly of those planes! Always at least TWO, one for real use, one as a decoy. One are known as “Marine 1” when the President is on-board. That’s the answer to the 747 airplane’s coding of “Air Force 1” whenever the Prez is on-board…there is a lot of jealousy between the military services in this country. Everyone wants (and gets) a piece of the pie!

Remember that ANY plane the US President is on is AUTOMATICALLY called “AIR FORCE ONE”. It could be the 747, a Piper Cub…ANY airplane anywhere in the world!

Also…a non-descript 4x4 Van, a Ford I think, bristling with antennae, which is used by the Secret Service (SS) for all sorts of radio communications. They have ‘repeaters’ on-board for the hand talkies the SS use, radio and satellite communications worldwide, direct to the White House, etc. It rides in the back of all the motorcades and is never far from the limo.

The actual ‘Presidential motorcade’ consists of only 5-6 vehicles…a lead car, usually a local police car filled with SS agents, then the two limos (one a decoy---the Pres is in the one with flags on the bumpers, usually), then 1-2 SS war wagons, filled with enough SS agents, special forces and weapons and ammo to shoot their way out of a medium-sized African insurgency…and in a hurry, too!

Then that Communications Wagon (which is also off-road capable and is raised WAY up in the air…must have TONS of equipment in it!).

In Washington, DC, when the Prez is on the move often from place to place, they regularly move him around in a motorcade of only 5-6 vehicles. The rest is really just for show and impressing the locals. And giving the local cops something to do so they can feel useful and brag about it later.

About 12 or more motorcycles usually accompany the motorcade (when out of DC), flying up ahead of the route and shutting down side streets and on-ramps. Then as the motorcade passes, they leave those posts and fly up ahead to the next part of the motorcade…it’s fun to watch in action.

When the Prez  is someplace out of DC, there will be several minivans behind the actual motorcade (sometimes it is 1-2 Greyhound buses) filled with staff and ALL the media which stays with him ALL the time.

Usually, one of the vans has a sunroof and there is ALWAYS a TV camera stuck through that sunroof or an open window, aimed at the limos a few cars ahead….just in case anything happens worth showing later on TV.

Behind all this will be at least one paramedic ambulance which follows the route, never far from the VIP.

So, those are some of the things which I *know* are on-board…there’s more, and I can only imagine what it all is! Keep in mind this traveling circus arrives at a Presidential visit location…EVERY ONE…Days BEFORE he even gets there! EVERY SPOT IN THE WORLD…so it costs a few dollars, I would imagine…have no idea where they hide it all in the budget!