McCain presses Obama on pricey helicopters
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/02/23/art.maccopter0223.gi.jpg caption="Sen. McCain mentioned the hefty projected price tag for replacing the President's fleet of helicopters as the White House's fiscal responsibility summit ended Monday evening."]
(CNN) - President Obama said Monday he’s pretty happy with helicopter he has - though the new commander-in-chief joked he's never had one to compare it to.
During a fiscal summit at the White House Monday, Arizona Sen. John McCain - Obama's former rival for the White House - pressed the new president on the Defense Department's plan to overhaul the fleet of 28 Marine One helicopters, a process that began early in the Bush administration.
Watch: 'I've never had a helicopter before,' Obama says
The price tag for the new helicopters has been estimated at over $11 billion, more than the cost of Air Force One - a cost that Obama said appeared unnecessary.
"The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me," Obama responded to laughter. "Of course, I've never had a helicopter before.
"You know? Maybe - maybe I've been deprived and i didn't know it. But I think it is a - an example of the procurement process gone amok and we're going to have to fix it."
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Shove it John. You lost buddy. Sit down and shut up.
Did McCain forget that the helicopter program began under Bush? Who, by the way, is a fellow Republican. These days it seems that the Republican memory began at noon on January 20th.
Well said, suh. Populism is impossibly attractive. 🙂
"A process that began early in the Bush administration."
Okay McCain, why didn't you press Bush about it when he was still in office?
John McSourgrapes.
Senator McCain is jealous because he thought he was going to be putting his tired, old bones in these helicopters!!!
Wow..."gotcha politics"??? From McCain??? Gee...I never woulda thunk it!
Sounds like Obama's go this one under control gramps. Sit back down and drink your prune juice.
What you need, is what you pay for. But! Where is the after-service.
I keep using this phrase. Why build: "New?" Where are the Spare's.
Where are the Technicians?
Oops I thought McCain was the fiscal conservative and Obama the spend and tax liberal. Of course, the last 8 years has shown us that the republican rhetoric only comes out during elections and takes the opposite seat during governing. That's why Clionton had a balanced budged after 8 years and Bush, well he doubled the deficit.
I am not surprised at all.
YAAAAAY Obama! This is change we can BELIEVE in!!!
So, John, did you ever raise the cost of this helicopter program when Bush was in office? Did you ever press President Bush on whether this was wise economically to pursue?
Didn't think so.
Gee, he never asked Bush about the very SAME chopper update. He also never said anything about it when he was running for Pres. What a cheap political stunt !
McSame please go back to sleep, you won't get reelected anyway. This country needs help, desperately. They do not need someone stupid enough to pick Sarah Palin for a running mate over people like Pawleny, and Romney who really knew what they were doing. If you had picked based on intelligence rather then TV appeal it might have been a different story. You have nothing else to add to any intelligent discussion. And by the way, did you ever pay all the taxes on your gambling?
I wish someone would tell me how on earth any govenor who has seen job losses in his or her state within the last 12 months, and has persons that are still on the unemployment rolls, has the audacity to state that they would deny the monies from the federal govermnent as early as this week...all to make a stand on what they feel might help them in their careers...
What a horrid, horrid mess.
I wish someone would tell me how on earth any govenor who has seen job losses in his or her state within the last 12 months, and has persons that are still on the unemployment rolls, has the audacity to state that they would deny the monies from the federal govermnent as early as this week…all to make a stand on what they feel might help them in their careers…
What a horrid, horrid mess.
j I wish someone would tell me how on earth any govenor who has seen job losses in his or her state within the last 12 months, and has persons that are still on the unemployment rolls, has the audacity to state that they would deny the monies from the federal govermnent as early as this week…all to make a stand on what they feel might help them in their careers…
What a horrid, horrid mess.
Funny McCain never brought this up under Bush 2.
I would bet that part of the overhaul of the helicopters is to meet Secret Service requirements. Where was John McCain when Bush was spending money willy-nilly. Why the sudden concern about finances after 8 years of being a rubber stamper?
As a resident of Arizona, I look forward to voting for someone else come 2010. I would hope Mr. McCain will choose to not run.
Funny about John McCain. He didn't have a problem when these helicopters were ordered two years ago. So why now?
Where was McCain when the deal was struck, or did he not mind then because he thought he'd be riding in them.
Hypocrite.
This whole issue of helicopter replacement for Marine 1 is wholly unfair. It has long been viewed as something acquiring much introspection during the Bush administration when the matter of a US vs. European company would carry the US President about came to the fore. Then it wasn't a matter of money but losing American prestige for perhaps European image remaking. But now it seems to be placing an inadequate amount of attention on the Obama administration when it was a Bush concern. President Obama is much above the concerns placed in front of George W. Bush as that dealt with other concerns and that doesn't taint Obama one iota! Maybe Mr. Obama can lower the priority of Marine 1's replacement just a tad while trying to replace the horrible ethos of George W. Bush's concerns about the country and replacing that for the want of a horse(RICHARD III)!
I think McCain the Same needs to sit down and shut up along with Palin the complainer, and the blame everyone else for my own mistakes.
"Black Tie Afaire". D Wayne Lucas. Now there was a RaceHorse... A Winner. Check me!....
"a process that began early in the Bush administration" Another Bush boondoggle we have to clean up.
There ya go... a bipartisan agreement! The current helicopter fleet is perfectly fine for now; don't need to replace it.
Sure we'd all like the latest and the greatest toy... erm... laptop, Blackberry, helicopter, etc... w/ all the newest bells and whistles... but if the old one still works fine, just hang on to it.
Uh, John, someone with 7 mansions really shouldn't have much to say about "excess". Tend to your own multi-million dollar issues first before you throw stones.