Good news: Obama will have a new limo !

[sinkingfeeling]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/06/driving.obama/index.html

As a candidate, Barack Obama promoted hybrid cars.
Shortly after taking the oath of office, Obama will climb into the Mother of All Hybrids -- part car, part truck and, from the looks of it, part tank.

In keeping with recent tradition, the Secret Service will place a brand-new presidential limousine into service January 20 to drive the new president on the 2-mile jaunt down Pennsylvania Avenue during the inaugural parade.

[Name removed]

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[backscatter712]

6. Yep. As sad as the situation is, Obama needs all the armor this car's got.

There are lots of right-wing idiots just itching to take a potshot at him.

Though this car looks like it could take a hit from an RPG...

[Tangerine LaBamba]

2. Those limousines

are so heavily armored, they need to be serviced at specially-equipped service centers, since regular hydraulic lifts can't move them.

Once, a Secretary of State's limo was towed - I loved it - into a friend's Cadillac dealership, and the service guys couldn't work on it because the lift couldn't support it.

[Solomon]

3. (Shakes head)

That's all I can do with this one. Aren't there enough faux issues already being outraged over?

[backscatter712]

9. I'm not particularly outraged myself.

Actually, I think the car's pretty cool.

Granted, the lines on it aren't as graceful as one might like (probably has to do with those six-inch-thick windows that can't have curves in them) but hey, I can dig it.

I'll bet that limo's surprisingly fast, especially given its weight - I remember hearing that the last Presidential limo had a gigantic marine V-12 under the hood. Probably gets 20 gallons to the mile...

[Stinky The Clown]

19. I musta missed the outrage that you're referencing

I see comments. No outrage. I like outrage, so could you please point it out to me?

[Xipe Totec]

4. They're retiring the short yellow bus?

[backscatter712]

5. Rolling tank is right.

Look at those windows! Note how the windshield is completely flat - I guess it's hard to put a graceful curve into glass when it's six inches thick...

When the car dealer tells you about the luxury model who's doors close like a bank vault, they haven't seen this car...

[Poiuyt]

7. That really is an ugly car

I know appearance isn't their first priority, but couldn't they have shaped it a little better?

[johnnie]

8. That's because the eggs..

..damaged the paint on the one bush used.

[TahitiNut]

17. They couldn't clean the poop-smeared seats.

:shrug:

[DefenseLawyer]

10. The just couldn't get all the coke out of the carpet

or the smell of bourbon out of the seats.

[liberal N proud]

11. I am sure that after bu$h the current fleet of vehicles is trashed

I saw a video on the training for the drivers for the limos a few years back. They indicated that they are not an easy machine to drive. But the drivers have to learn how to handle them including zero radius turns.

[hlthe2b]

12. Thank heavens they are making them paint it....

It looks like they pieced together spare parts from the junkyard....:shrug:

[backscatter712]

15. I'll bet they hand-made the body panels.

This isn't just a stretched Cadillac. They pretty much had to build this car mostly from scratch. They had to use a truck chassis, because of the insane amount of armor.

Yeah, that photo's pretty ugly - I do trust they'll paint the car before Obama rides it...

[TahitiNut]

18. They actually made a small fleet of them ... less than two dozen, though.

These limos are used on domestic and foreign trips - flown on a C-130 accompanying AF-1 - and also by the VP and foreign visiting VIPs. It's become a standard.

[thereismore]

13. Obama is not walking Pennsylvania avenue? Did that go out with *? nt

[backscatter712]

16. He'll probably walk part of it.

Even when he is walking, the limo is gonna be rolling along with him right there, so if there's an incident, he can dive in and get out of dodge.

These days, the new President walks part of Pennsylvania Ave., typically the part where the Secret Service has the heaviest security. They can't secure the entire mile, so he'll probably get in the car and ride the rest of the way.

[StreetKnowledge]

14. It ain't a tank

It's a land-bound battleship. Even Tanks don't have eight inches of armor.

But with the Klukkers around, its good to know that the President won't be hit in transit. And it ain't bad looking, I think. :)