[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/06/art.branch.cnn.jpg caption="A branch fell on the presidential motorcade Saturday."]Washington (CNN) - President Obama ditched his souped-up Cadillac limousine fondly known as "the Beast" this weekend for a vehicle capable of plowing through 20-plus inches of snow. Obama is traveling in an armored Chevy Suburban four-wheel-drive SUV to ensure he keeps to his schedule, despite the harrowing weather conditions.
The blizzard Obama called "snowmageddon" didn't stop his presidential motorcade from navigating the snow-covered streets of Washington Saturday, but it did cause a few hairy moments. Before the 15-vehicle motorcade even pulled out of the White House driveway, one of the emergency support vehicles in the caravan lost traction and slid into another vehicle.
Fortunately, its occupants – members of the media – hadn't yet loaded into the Chrysler Aspen SUV when the minor collision happened.
President Obama's five-minute journey from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capital Hilton, where he spoke to a DNC gathering, was slow-going. Under constant snow fall, the vehicles inched forward at 15 miles per hour.
But the scariest moment came when the motorcade was returning from the president's event. On a narrow road between the Treasury Department and the White House, a tree branch, weighed down by the snow, snapped and fell onto a vehicle carrying members of the media.
White House press assistant Ben Finkenbinder, along with reporters and still photographers, jumped out of the SUV. The driver pulled the branch from the roof and within a minute the group continued on their way to the White House south lawn.
No one was hurt, and the president, in a vehicle several cars ahead, continued on to the White House, not even noticing the motorcade "snow-fu."
And to think people will criticize the man for taking a night off to go to the opera with his wife. All of you Tea Baggers, are you paying attention. No.
God's giving the gossip mongers a warning – they don't get it. We want news – unbiased – not gossip.
Hmmm. Must be global warming.
"For His eye is on the sparrow..."
Do you think that this Heaven-allowed action was intended for one of the press corpse men?
Or...was it something the President said at the Hilton?
Does President Barry have a "corpse man" traveling with his motorcade in case of an accident? Lol.
Oh wait, CNN didn't report that story. Gee, why are our ratings dropping faster than Lindsay Lohan's pants?
A tree branch fell on an SUV carrying some reporters. Is this of some importance to anyone?
Who cares
WOW that is real action hero stuff going on there with POTUS...methinks a Silver Star to go along with his Nobel is in order...but ONLY AFTER he spends more time practicing his salute!
Who was it that said the Haiti earthquake was natures way of punishing man for not achiveing anything at the Copen-Hagen-Daz Summit on Climate Change?
Maybe Snowmaggedon is nature's way of saying man-made global warming is a pigment of your imagination..... Cap and Tax This!!!
Allah forbid he would have to stay at the WH and actually get some work done.
So the idiot doesn't know when to stay out of a storm?????
Was that due to his lack of a clean birth certificate?
Wow, It must be a Verrrrryy slow news day at CNN!
Call AlGore...he can change the environment (for a few tens of treeeellion of dollars).
Should have donned snow shoes or cross-country skis.
How's that burban on the environment? Or did Obama decide that this global warming is a bunch of crap this winter?
WOO-HOO!!! We're all having fun! Hey, try to make the best of it and not be an ol' party pooper. There are ENOUGH of those around us now-a-days...Sam
Oh well, I guess this incident may end up being good for some Democrats. At least most will not need to follow President NObama over the precipice.
Also, I can't see how the President can rally the Democratic troops when he has not done anything of consequence himself. Democrats must start realizing that the American voters are not sitting down and shutting up like he's been demanding of us. He's zero for three: Virginia, New Jersey, and most recently, Massachusetts.
It must also be made very clear to the American voters that the obstructionists to NObama's policies are not the Republicans, but rather, his own party members. Republican have had little or no say as to what goes on in Washington since January 2009.
Will President NObama ever admit this. Don't hold your breath, otherwise, you may pass out. He will continue to blame the Republicans for issues that squarely lie on his shoulders. He will lie and cheat his way out all negative situations.
Stay tuned!
Actually the most terrifying moment for America began (again) when Obama returned to the White House.
First the media vehicle skids into another one, then a branch falls on the media vehicle. Looks like even nature is beating up on the press.
This seems such trivia: it is no more important than Palin and her Tea Party.
No one was hurt, and the president, in a vehicle several cars ahead, continued on to the White House, not even noticing the motorcade "snow-fu."
Kinda hard to notice when you cant think, speak, or look at anything thats not all about UUUUUUUUUUUUU.
Why do we use taxpayer resources to get the president to a political (DNC) meeting? Shouldn't the parties have to use their own resources for these types of things? Sure they do. Wink. Wink.
God forbid that Obama should actually miss a speaking engagement.
It's a shame he can't drive into a snowbank and not be found until summer after next.