US to spend $200 mn a day

[lostinblue 1,989]

Mumbai: The US would be spending a whopping $200 million (Rs. 900 crore approx) per day on President Barack Obama's visit to the city.

"The huge amount of around $200 million would be spent on security, stay and other aspects of the Presidential visit," a top official of the Maharashtra Government privy to the arrangements for the high-profile visit said.

About 3,000 people including Secret Service agents, US government officials and journalists would accompany the President. Several officials from the White House and US security agencies are already here for the past one week with helicopters, a ship and high-end security instruments.

"Except for personnel providing immediate security to the President, the US officials may not be allowed to carry weapons. The state police is competent to take care of the security measures and they would be piloting the Presidential convoy," the official said on condition of anonymity.

Navy and Air Force has been asked by the state government to intensify patrolling along the Mumbai coastline and its airspace during Obama's stay. The city's airspace will be closed half-an-hour before the President's arrival for all aircraft barring those carrying the US delegation.

The personnel from SRPF, Force One, besides the NSG contingent stationed here would be roped in for the President's security, the official said.

The area from Hotel Taj, where Obama and his wife Michelle would stay, to Shikra helipad in Colaba would be cordoned off completely during the movement of the President.

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Story first published: November 02, 2010 20:54 IST

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/us-to-spend-200-mn-a-day-on-obama-s-mumbai-visit-64106?cp&cp

[luckytxn 2,265]

Change we can believe in.

[Ban Hammer 13,474]

mighta been cheaper just to send pelosi on one air force plane.

[Boiler 45,912]

Gotomeeting.com have a 30 day trial.

[Pooky 3,825]

Change we can believe in.

Change?

You think we'll get change out of $400m for a 2-day visit?

[spookyturtle 9,466]

I don't believe the US will spend anywhere near that amount.

[Pooky 3,825]

I don't believe the US will spend anywhere near that amount.

It's the figure out there in the media.

I'd track down where it came from, but I'm having a late pizza refill, which deserves my attention more.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

It's the figure out there in the media.

I'd track down where it came from, but I'm having a late pizza refill, which deserves my attention more.

I had a few slices myself. Pizza is good.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

It's the figure out there in the media.

Ah, the gullible bunch as usual. Sarah needs you and yours.

And also as usual, your typical spreaders of the above mentioned: Rush, Drudge and Faux

Q: Is President Obama’s trip to India going to cost $200 million per day?

A: This highly doubtful claim originated with one Indian news agency quoting an anonymous source in Mumbai. The White House says it is "wildly exaggerated," and there’s no evidence to support such a huge figure.

FULL QUESTION

There are reports all over that Obama’s India trip will cost $200 million per day. I haven’t been able to find a credible rebuttal to this but I can’t believe it could be true.

FULL ANSWER

This story has spread rapidly among the president’s critics, but there is simply no evidence to support it. And common sense should lead anyone to doubt it. For example, the entire U.S. war effort in Afghanistan currently costs less than that — about $5.7 billion per month, according to the Congressional Research Service, or roughly $190 million per day. How could a peaceful state visit cost more than a war?

What else can you get for $200 million? Try the New Jersey Nets basketball team or possibly the Hope diamond — if only the Smithsonian were selling it.

The hard-to-swallow claim originated with a Nov. 2 Press Trust of India article quoting an unnamed "top official" in the government of Maharashtra (one of India’s states). The source was quoted as saying that Obama’s upcoming trip to Mumbai will cost $200 million per day for security and living arrangements, among other things. The story claimed that the president would be accompanied by about 3,000 people, including Secret Service agents, government officials and journalists, and will stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel — the scene of a 2008 terrorist attack.

We find stories based on anonymous sources always deserve special caution, especially when they come from only one news organization. In this case, the anonymous official is not even in the U.S. government, and any information about costs would necessarily have come second-hand at best, an added reason for caution.

Nevertheless, the story was widely repeated without any additional reporting. Soon after the article was released, The Drudge Report — a news aggregation website — linked to the Press Trust of India article, with the headline "REPORT: US to spend $200 million per day on Obama’s Mumbai visit…" Later that day, Rush Limbaugh claimed on his radio show that "Five hundred seven rooms at the Taj Mahal, 40 airplanes, $200 million a day this nation will spend on Obama’s trip to India." He repeats the "$200 million a day" claim several times throughout the show without specifying its source.

The allegation has generated a great deal of Internet discourse over the past few days, including a Washington Times post that claims Obama’s entourage on the trip "will spend enough to bankrupt a small nation." According to the Economic Times and The Daily Mail, Obama will take over the entire 570-room Taj Mahal Hotel for the trip. A Google search for the exact words of the original Press Trust article returned about 11,000 results. And we received about two dozen queries about it.

The White House is always reluctant to discuss cost figures about presidential trips, since the bulk of the expense is for Secret Service security. Not this time. The White House press office, which said it had been flooded with queries, gave us the following statement:

Matt Lehrich, White House Office of Media Affairs: The numbers reported in this article have no basis in reality. Due to security concerns, we are unable to outline details associated with security procedures and costs, but it’s safe to say these numbers are wildly inflated.

It is always costly to move a U.S. president around the world. And in this case, the president is attending a G-20 meeting and will be accompanied by several cabinet officials. But given the dubious source of this assertion, the fact that the claimed cost exceeds the cost of a war, the flat denial by the White House and the lack of any evidence to support the claim, we’ll classify this one as false.

[ready4ONE 5,400]

It's the figure out there in the media.

I'd track down where it came from, but I'm having a late pizza refill, which deserves my attention more.

Have no fear it comes from an unreliable source, and the RWN's are running with it anyway.

[Pooky 3,825]

Have no fear it comes from an unreliable source, and the RWN's are running with it anyway.

And I was running with the pizza

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

It's the figure out there in the media.

I'd track down where it came from, but I'm having a late pizza refill, which deserves my attention more.

No need to put down your pizza. It was already busted. Though the trip is by no means cheap, it is nothing whatever like 200 million per day. Some Indian official that is pretty poor with exchange rates ran his mouth. Caused a decimal point to be moved one way or another.

Have no fear it comes from an unreliable source, and the RWN's are running with it anyway.

No reason to make up BS when the truth is sufficiently embarrasing. The trip is a huge waste of money

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

No reason to make up BS when the truth is sufficiently embarrasing. The trip is a huge waste of money

No more so than any other trip a President takes. It's not like pre-Obama presidents did not travel in that manner.

[Pooky 3,825]

No more so than any other trip a President takes. It's not like pre-Obama presidents did not travel in that manner.

Why not do a GotoMeeting and order in pizza?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

No more so than any other trip a President takes. It's not like pre-Obama presidents did not travel in that manner.

well, yeah, it is a LOT more than other Presidents spent.