http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57589236/report-obamas-africa-trip-could-cost-$60-100-million/
At the end of June, Mr. Obama and his family will take an eight-day trip to sub-Saharan Africa
But the also paper reports that, due to "a confluence of factors," Mr. Obama's three-country trip could be "one of the most expensive" of his presidency.
"Obama's trip could cost the federal government $60 million to $100 million based on the costs of similar African trips in recent years, according to one person familiar with the journey, who was not authorized to speak for attribution," according to the Post. The paper said that it received the internal planning document from a "person who is concerned about the amount of resources necessary for the trip."
According to the Washington Post, the expenses listed on the document include:
"Hundreds of U.S. Secret Service agents will be dispatched to secure facilities in Senegal, South Africa and Tanzania. A Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship, with a fully staffed medical trauma center, will be stationed offshore in case of an emergency.
Military cargo planes will airlift in 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines and three trucks loaded with sheets of bulletproof glass to cover the windows of the hotels where the first family will stay. Fighter jets will fly in shifts, giving 24-hour coverage over the president's airspace, so they can intervene quickly if an errant plane gets too close."
Other sources of expense include the use of 56 vehicles and hundreds of Secret Service agents, according to the Post. The document, however, did not note specific prices.
Mr. Obama and first lady Michelle Obama had reportedly been planning to go on a safari in Tanzania, but the Post says that trip was canceled after reporters inquired into the cost and purpose of the trip.
At a press briefing on Friday, White House spokesman Ben Rhodes defended the trip, noting that "we have not traveled to Africa in the same way that we've traveled to other regions in the world" and that "Africa's a critically important region of the world."
"We have huge interests there... So for the United States to say, 'We're a world leader except in this continent' doesn't make any sense," Rhodes told reporters. "From a foreign policy perspective, in some respects, people believe this trip is overdue. And, frankly, there will be a great bang for our buck for being in Africa, because when you travel to regions like Africa that don't get a lot of presidential attention, you can have very long-standing and long-running impact from the visit."
the Obozos ??
