Pres. Obama’s dog flown to vacation in a MV-22 Osprey

From The Telegraph:

First dog Bo is airlifted to Obama holiday home

Rooms have to be found for dozens of Secret Service agents, someone has to carry a selection of presidential basketballs, and of course the family dog needs his own state-of-the-art aircraft.
Arriving in the idyllic coastal retreat of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, Mr Obama left behind him in Washington DC high profile debates over the budget, government surveillance and his health care reforms. Instead, he will spend the next eight days playing golf, going to the beach, and buying books from the Bunch of Grapes bookstore.
In the air he swapped his suit and tie for khakis and a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves, while Mrs Obama wore a yellow-and-white summer dress.
Bo, the president’s Portuguese Water Dog, arrived separately on one of two MV-22 Ospreys, a hybrid aircraft which takes off like a helicopter but flies like a plane.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

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32 Comments

  1. Lin says:

    Let them eat cake comes to mind! Shameful!

  2. Traductora says:

    The dog I’ve seen before in photos. But who are those people accompanying it? Some of them look familiar, probably because they have been photographed with Herr Obama on other occasions.

    That said, this is nauseating. Can you even imagine what would have happened if Bush had tried this?

    But then, I can’t imagine Bush even considering something so offensive.

  3. AA Cunningham says:

    The dog got to fly with Secret Service agents, military aides, White House staffers and probably a few reporters. Since they flew the first gay president from the Coast Guard station in Bourne, MA to Martha’s Vineyard on a VH-60N there probably wasn’t enough room for all the clingers on and the dog. They also flew a C-17 up there on August 9th loaded with SUVs, bicycles, staffers, etc.

    http://bostonherald.com/photos/marthas_vineyard_prepares_for_obamas#sthash.F2BDt6js.dpuf

    These trips are SOP for HMX-1. How many people remember the infamous trip to the golf course back in 1994?

    http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1994-05-27/news/1994147074_1_white-house-house-staff-house-military-office

    Personally I bet that the crew would rather fly the canine around than the Kenyan. I know I would. Bo deserves a better master and I bet he has a lot more character and integrity than Barry.

  4. Lucas says:

    I’m the farthest thing from a liberal or a Obama supporter, but I don’t see the problem. Most people take their pets on vacation, it’s just a matter of how. Whether its on Air Force One or another way, whats the big deal? I don’t know why they wouldn’t let him ride with the president in his plane/helicopter.

  5. EXCHIEF says:

    This is not the first time the dog BO has been flown separately. Consider this. #1 Little Barry doesn’t eat pork #2 Little Barry does not take Moochelle with him when he visits Muslim countries. #3. As I understand it Muslims are not allowed to transport pets in the same conveyance they (the pet owners) are transported in. But the little emperor tells us he is a “Christian”. We all know what a liar he is. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck….. The Osprey should be re-named Muslim Air. I do agree with AA Cunningham. I know what my colleagues in the Secret Service think of the WUN. I’m sure they really would rather fly BO the dog than BO the boy wonder.

  6. Tim says:

    @Lucas
    You cannot be serious….what a gigantic waste of taxpayer funds.

    It takes a UK paper to report what the FGP is doing? Why not our own sharp as tacks MSM? Isn’t this news?

  7. Bob B. says:

    I’m glad the president has so much time on his hands that he can take a vacation – from what I understand his wife takes a lot of them, too. Anyway, his underlings will take care of things, especially the pseudo-Catholic ones. heaven only knows what they’re up to.
    (BTW, I haven’t had a vacation in years – Wonder if some legislation can’t be dreamt up that says everyone should be able to?)

  8. Facta Non Verba says:

    Once again, the media yawns. Where is the outrage?

  9. HeatherPA says:

    What is this thing dubbed “vacation”? Such is a foreign term in our household.
    Nice to see that dogs get their own private helo ride to vacation. Anyone defending such a flagrant waste of taxpayer money in this wretched economy has got to be disturbed.

  10. jflare says:

    Um, I don’t precisely mind having the dog flown to be with the President. I own a cat myself and wouldn’t mind having him along, if I could make it practical.
    Here’s what I don’t get: Why the Osprey??

    I worked as a ramp agent under contract with an airline once, one of the chief cargoes I used to move was..dogs in kennels.
    If the President wanted his dog, it would’ve been quite easy to have one staffer put the dog in his travel kennel–I must assume they have one by now, they would’ve needed one long since in most states–take him to the airport, check him in at the appropriate location to have him checked, then take the same flight.
    Voila!
    A few commercial flights for a rather low price and Mr. President and pooch have been reunited for a few days!

    Or..is it possible that the dog only came as a cover for something else? I’m not keen on conspiracy theories exactly, but I’m praying that the administration isn’t THIS gross in their contempt for taxpayers….

  11. mike cliffson says:

    I have no right to interefere in you cousins’ civil affairs, except that my one time stateside I met more than one American(amongst many great guys , then, before, and since) who aggressively believed Uk royals had dictatorial powers etc .and how the US of A was royalsfree, kowtowfree, etc
    True, 1936, you needed the American Press to discover just who was the new GB King’s “piece of crackling”. (99% selfcensorship, I don’t think they were given D.notices).
    I wish I could remeet those old aquaintances, just to say “Liar Liar pants on fire”

  12. iPadre says:

    Such a contrast between Pope Francis and the Obama regime.

    • President has separate airplane for family dog – @ $10,000 per hour
    • Pope used old Fiat for first official Papal trip – Priceless!

  13. mrshopey says:

    I am waiting for the day when the president, probably future, gets the financial trouble we are in. I will know when they don’t fly their pets to their vacation spot and they make better choices.

  14. Maxiemom says:

    I’m guessing that the basketballs are for the secret service agents – have you seen the pres play ball – he isn’t very good.

  15. poohbear says:

    Our tax dollars at work. Why can’t the dog fly in the same plane as the rest of the family?

    My company just took two vacation days away from staff and three vacation days from management to save money. Many people who had vacations scheduled had to cancel them due to this. He’ll just raise taxes to pay for more of his own vacation days.

  16. Legisperitus says:

    I have no use for Obama, but it’s wrong to imply that the second aircraft was used just for the dog. It was already transporting some of the Secret Service members and their supplies.

  17. PostCatholic says:

    Is it respectful to insult people by calling them dogs or ridiculing their given names? Whether one dislikes the Obamas or not, with any amount of spiritual attainment I’d expect civility.

  18. Lucas says:

    Legisperitus said more clearly the point I was getting at. There was already a ton of stuff on that osprey. It’s not like it was just for the dog. There was already other things on the plane. *shrug*

    I realize this won’t earn me any points around here, but I just don’t get it. I’m sure Bush brought his dog with him on vacations. I guess however, Barney was small enough that he could have most likely been crated or even as a lap dog on Air Force One. Maybe Obama should have just gotten a jack russell?

  19. Cathy says:

    It makes me think the critter is more of a prop than a pet. A family pet travels with the family, a prop travels with the basketballs. I also have to think that buying basketballs and donating them afterwards to charity would be a lot more economical than carrying them in their own separate aircraft as luggage.

  20. robtbrown says:

    NB: Anytime the President goes somewhere on AF1, there are several planes that go with him.
    I was in Rome when Clinton visited, and I was told that 28 US planes were at the airport.

  21. robtbrown says:

    PostCatholic says:
    Is it respectful to insult people by calling them dogs or ridiculing their given names? Whether one dislikes the Obamas or not, with any amount of spiritual attainment I’d expect civility.

    No, it’s not respectful, and no doubt you were equally upset when Bush was insulted.

  22. StJude says:

    Remember when the dog got a flight on Air Force One all by himself from Hawaii back to DC for a photo op?!!
    The Obama’s are shameless….. on my tax dollars.

  23. DisturbedMary says:

    Where is the cowboy clown when you need him? Let that patriot have a go at the unending day-in-day-out bull-spit of contemptuous Barry.

  24. DisturbedMary says:

    Maxiemom: Basketball, like golf, is not about the game. It’s about the guys. Get it?

  25. Salvelinus says:

    This is actually not true – Its shoddy reporting by the Telegraph. Reports (some even prior to The Telegraph Report) place the dog on Air force One….

  26. tnconvert says:

    Great observation, iPadre!
    I am wondering just how many plans/vehicles it took to take the Obamas and their entourage on vacation…Shouldn’t we have him on an expense account?

  27. PostCatholic says:

    No, it’s not respectful, and no doubt you were equally upset when Bush was insulted.
    Perhaps it surprises you, but I am, and I find the context of this particular blog an especially galling place to be so rude. We can disagree without being so disagreeable (a courtesy you so often show me, robtbrown; thank you).

  28. netokor says:

    This is what it was like to live in Mexico. The corrupt elites lived it up while they could, with no concern for the future of the country. Whereto now?

  29. RobW says:

    Dogs fly first class, babies are aborted…the world has gone mad.

  30. Sword40 says:

    Total waste of U.S. Marine Corps assets. Not to mention taxpayer dollars.

  31. jflare says:

    “There was already a ton of stuff on that osprey. It’s not like it was just for the dog.”

    A quick glance at a few articles would seem to confirm this, Lucas. Even so, there’s a legitimate question here: Why does the President need so much gear to take a vacation? In particular, why does he need to take the dog?

    If you pay attention to the average family’s vacation, they normally leave pets and other non-essentials behind. Part of the idea of a vacation is just that, to vacate your normal premises, go without some of your typical home..stuff..and relax a little bit.

    I don’t necessarily object to having the President use Air Force One to take a vacation; he’s a critical person who has legitimate need for Secret Service and other supporting personnel to address his concerns. Even so, I don’t get why Michelle needs to take another–government funded–flight or why they need so much stuff with them.

    I should think if they need this or that, they could certainly provide appropriate transportation for non-essentials on their own dime. Most other people do.

  32. jflare says:

    Lucas,
    For a touch of perspective, I decided to look at Wikipedia for notes on John Sununu, Chief of Staff for George H.W. Bush from 1989 to 1991 or so. I was correct: I had thought I remembered Sununu having been the subject of a great deal of controversy regarding his travel needs; he did, indeed, use government resources rather a lot. In spite of his protests about needing to keep in touch with events, he wound up resigning from that post after two years.
    I don’t remember if Wikipedia says it straight out or not, but I recall him being compelled to resign due to the..indiscretions..he inflicted with his purported travel needs.

    Yes, I realize that we’re dealing with a dog in this case, not a Chief of Staff, but the point remains the same: Government resources like jets and limousines really aren’t to be used for personal use to this degree.
    It usually IS taken as rather an abuse of taxpayer dollars.

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