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    The Lookout

    Obama bus catches buzz on the Web

    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)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.

     
     
    Top Locations Tampa

    22,702 comments

    • Chris in California  •  8 mths ago
      Does anyone know the dimensions of these buses? Were they really flown ahead of the president on C-17's? Will they fit inside a C-17 is what I wanted to find out. Snopes doesn't know and neither does truthorfiction.
    • Bob  •  9 mths ago
      what a waste of money i thought govt broke
      • Michael 9 mths ago
        No Bob...WE are broke, but thanks to our taxes, it's business as usual in Washington!
      • Who owns the fed 9 mths ago
        The buzz is the swarm of flies following this pile of crap. Anyone else 2012
      • David H 9 mths ago
        A bus is a hell of a lot cheaper than Air Force One, assmonkey
    • Mike  •  9 mths ago
      Mr. eco president. I see that he is not riding in a subcompact and is not forced to count carbon credits like businesses he is trying to regulate. What a hypocrite. He also does not have any problems spending the taxpayer's money on all these extravagant rides and toys. He is such a waste as president. Hopefully the voters get sick of his antics and what he is about and vote him out of office. Yes we can!
      • carlos 9 mths ago
        How about you learn to read it says Secret Service commissioned the buses not obama. The president has little say in what he can ride in since it falls on the secret service to keep him safe. Plus it says the 2 buses are not just for obama but also for Republican presidential candidate and visiting dignitaries.
      • john s 9 mths ago
        I guess the President works for the secret service not the other way around. They must have forced him to take this new bus just like they forced Biden to rent his guest house to them. Keep drinking the Kool Aid Carlos, the liberals have you right were they want you. obama is a hypocrite.
      • Kaitlynn 9 mths ago
        Carlos, who do you think has final say in this? The president does. Who is in charge of Secret Service? The president. Maybe Mike doesn't need a reading lesson but rather you need a lesson in common sense.
    • Josh Cupp  •  9 mths ago
      I bet they spend an insane amount of money to take care of the crapper as well. Gotta love that government spending.
      • Smacker 9 mths ago
        what a poopy thing to state!
      • matth 9 mths ago
        it may be government spending but it is my money!!!
      • AVA 9 mths ago
        i found toilet paper at wall mart with his picture on it, better go get some obama your full of sh--.
    • STEVEN  •  9 mths ago
      People wake up everyday and ask how we got where we are? The answer is a disfunctional government. Spend that Money.
      • ken 9 mths ago
        No, they ask..."Why did I vote for obama?"
      • Tony 9 mths ago
        voting repubs is why
        parts of 99%er are an idiots !
        parts of 1%er has a consciences
        too bad that we are out number.
        Go to megalife21 on youtube they pretty much explain it.
      • MPPA 9 mths ago
        Listen, didnt vote for Obama but Id rather see him carted around in the diesel powered bus which is saving a ton of cash over flying him around in the helicopter.
    • Deborah  •  9 mths ago
      2.2 million for busses??????? Are you kidding me? And he wants to take OUR Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid???? And on top of it all, he is using the busses to raise campaign money!!! How stupid does he think we all are???? While he's in the midwest, he COULD park and leave them in Alabama, where tornado's left hundreds homeless!!
      • OGONE 9 mths ago
        ...very stupid. The people did elect him. The more people that need tax money the more of them that will vote him back in.
      • Pcwars Sysop 9 mths ago
        no idiot, GOP wants to take security, medicare and medicaid? havent u been paying attention to the news? i mean the real news and not FOX version of the news. GOP=NAZI!!!!!!
      • RACKOFLAMB 9 mths ago
        I guess you really are not paying attention!!!! Its the stupid tea party and repugs that want to take it from you
    • Eric  •  9 mths ago
      What a bunch of total crap. This guy is insane... please vote him out of office in 2012.
    • Ross  •  9 mths ago
      Obama needs a U-Haul to get his crap out of the White House and of course he would have to up grade the U-Haul with tinted windows.
    • JM  •  9 mths ago
      I have no problem with US GOV buying buses. But the bus they bought is a French Prevost...Very expensive to maintain. They could have bought MCI's (Made in the US) for half the cost and they are the work horses of the transportation industry. That was a SS decision but they should have mandated US made buses....
    • nana  •  9 mths ago
      And they wonder why we have a deficit problem, who paidfor this bus? makes me sick.
    • al  •  9 mths ago
      Tour bus----Call it like it is. It's a campaign bus on the tax payers dime
    • Muskrat  •  9 mths ago
      This article reflects a big part of our problems...the media! The to say the Secret Service paid a huge sum for this vehicle is wrong...NO...it is the tax payers paying all these bills! Government for the people, remember any of you Washington DC so-called "public servants"?
    • Jimdiem  •  9 mths ago
      The secret service didn't pay for anything we taxpayers did.
    • Michael  •  9 mths ago
      It's called Throw America Under The Bus.........
    • Arlene  •  9 mths ago
      what a way to live on other peoples money the president new bus he is riding in on the campain tour
    • Rocky  •  9 mths ago
      Interestingly enough, the bus appears to be a Prevost which is a Canadian made bus chassis, instead of an MCI which is American made. Says a lot about our president and his "deep concern" about American jobs!!
    • GregT  •  9 mths ago
      Obama looked at Michelle, chuckled and said, "You know, I could throw a $1,000 bill out of the window right now and make somebody very happy." Michelle shrugged her shoulders and replied, "I could throw ten $100 bills out of the window and make ten people very happy". Hearing their exchange, the pilot of plane said to his co-pilot,"Such big-shots back there. I could throw both of them out of the window and make 256 million people very happy."!!
    • American Made  •  9 mths ago
      What part of Stop Spending doesn't he understand?
    • Kay W  •  9 mths ago
      I USED TO be proud of being a Democrat. Well, now I am going to use that "privilege" to hopefully correct what is going on now with a "Democrat" president: vote him OUT of office. Then, hopefully, I can be proud of being a democrat again. Right now I am red faced. I did not support his nomination, and I did not vote for him (his and him being Obama). This latest action of his is just beuilding the evidence of his inefficiency and his greediness. Every day I become more and more angry about his self-centered actions and his lack of empathy.
    • GlennQ  •  9 mths ago
      Where is the American Flag on that black bus that we are paying for?
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