Pull over, Sarah Palin: President Obama's bus is about to run yours off the road.
The $1.1 million (yep, you read that right) Obamamobile is, according to the Associated Press, "an impenetrable-looking conveyance the size of a cross-country Greyhound, painted all in black, with dark tinted windows and flashing red and blue lights." The rubber is hitting the road for the president's current trip to Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois.
Click on photo to view the bus vs. 'Beast' slideshow. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
Two of these superbuses were commissioned by the Secret Service to chauffeur the commander-in-chief around the country -- along with the eventual Republican presidential candidate and visiting dignitaries. While these babies don't come cheap, the protection service decided the buses, normally leased and retrofitted to provide presidential protection, would pay for themselves over their projected 10-year lifespan.
The Secret Service won't reveal specifics on the high-tech monster buses but said that they have similar features to "the Beast," a tricked-out limo and the president's regular ride. That official Cadillac comes with thick, reinforced doors and reportedly is equipped with bulletproof glass that can withstand a rocket-propelled grenade or a chemical attack.
The cruiser has definitely caught notice on the Web. Yahoo! lookups have revved up for "obama bus tour," "obama bus tour schedule," and the "obama bus" in the last day.
Meanwhile, Sarah Palin has been tooling around Iowa in her own sweet ride as part two of her "One Nation" bus tour. The ex-Alaska governor's bus is a flashier model, at least on the outside, covered with red, white, and blue images of the Liberty Bell, the Constitution, the American flag, and Sarah Palin's signature. Maybe the two can drag race.