34 warships sent from US for Obama visit (to India)

[Renew Deal]

New Delhi: The White House will, of course, stay in Washington but the heart of the famous building will move to India when President Barack Obama lands in Mumbai on Saturday.

Communications set-up and nuclear button and majority of the White House staff will be in India accompanying the President on this three-day visit that will cover Mumbai and Delhi.

He will also be protected by a fleet of 34 warships, including an aircraft carrier, which will patrol the sea lanes off the Mumbai coast during his two-day stay there beginning Saturday. The measure has been taken as Mumbai attack in 2008 took place from the sea.

Arrangements have been put in place for emergency evacuation, if needed.
<snip>

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/34-warships-sent-from-us-for-obama-visit-64459

[GSLevel9]

1. hey just curious...

how much is this whole Indian shindig costing? Might pay for a few bridges or save a few school districts.

[sharp_stick]

21. Maybe you could look it up?

I'm sure there are some "reliable" estimates out there for you.

Or you could do a handy little search on "the google"

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/11/obamas-india-trip----not-as-expensive-as-you-may-have-heard/1

[WinkyDink]

35. And Halliburton got how much?

[Demeter]

2. Protected from whom?

They love us for our drone attacks!

[dipsydoodle]

3. Wrong country

He's going to India : not Pakistan.

[Demeter]

10. Mumbai Bombing--Need I Say More?

[Poll_Blind]

19. And remember, that was pulled off by just 10 people.

It's scary.

PB

[lpbk2713]

4. They love us for all the jobs BushCo sent them.

They want Obama to keep it up.

[TornadoTN]

13. A friend of mine from work just got back from China yesterday

He said that the Chinese coverage of our elections was interesting to say the least. They were very keen to see people elected that would continue the outsourcing of jobs & materials to China, even if they didn't come right out and name name's or parties.

Personally, I don't think it would have mattered either way - both parties are responsible for this outsourcing mess. One party just seems to be a little more open about wanting to keep that steady stream of jobs heading that way.

[Uncle Joe]

5. I hope it turns out to be a good and productive visit.

Thanks for the thread, Renew Deal.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. Hey WIPRO, if you want to lobby for more business, you should foot the bill. n/t

This visit makes no sense to me.

[Mass]

7. You realize they have probably warships in the area. They dont need to send them.

Here is the factcheck of another artice from the same source.

http://factcheck.org/2010/11/ask-factcheck-trip-to-mumbai/

[Jim__]

25. Yeah, Glenn Beck was all over this story today - talking to a "former CIA agent."

From factcheck: claim originated ... quoting an unnamed "top official" in the government of Maharashtra

Given the source, and the fact that Glenn Beck was parroting the claim, I'm pretty sure it's horseshit.

[RZM]

8. This might be a reason for the $200 million rumor about the trip

Safety first, I guess . . . I won't pretend to know what it takes to secure a US president in India. All this reminds me of a story about FDR. I don't remember where I read it, but I think towards the very end of his life there was a Republican rumor that he had turned around a warship many miles from shore because he had forgotten his dog on land (I think it was Alaska) and they made hay of how much the detour cost.

[Mass]

9. The same source started the rumor, apparently.

http://factcheck.org/2010/11/ask-factcheck-trip-to-mumbai/

By the way, it is the G20 meeting.

[RZM]

11. I didn't realize the rumor was per day

I only glanced at the story and thought it was $200 million for the whole trip. Per day is indeed utterly preposterous.

[Poll_Blind]

17. No way they could pull off something that huge for just 200 million- Oh, a DAY!

Yeah, I could see that.

PB

[slackmaster]

12. I thought the Indian Wars were over

:dunce:

[RaleighNCDUer]

14. OK, that makes me wonder -

What kind of escort did FDR have when he went to Malta to meet with Churchill & Stalin DURING WORLD WAR TWO?

[RZM]

23. Good question

Though for the record it's Yalta in the Crimea, not Malta in the Mediterranean (typo I'm assuming). I don't know about the US escort, but Stalin did it huge -- there was a very heavy Soviet security presence . . . and this less than a year after just about every last Crimean Tatar man, women and child in the region was rounded up from the and shipped East. There wasn't much of a need for security against the Germans by that point either, as they were just about done.

[Gaedel]

26. Yalta nt

[Posteritatis]

32. An escorted battleship for each crossing, if I recall. (nt)

[RC]

15. Haven't they ever heard of Skype?

I thought the government was trying to save money because the repugs debt?

[Poll_Blind]

16. Hrm, would that put the raw cost at somewhere around 2 Billion for the trip?

Every once in a while (and it's not just Obama, obviously) I've read a news story which described various trips presidents have taken and occasionally they'll mention the cost which is usually in the tens of millions at least for overseas visits.

34 warships and the fuel and resources they consume, the pay for everyone involved (which I can't even imagine but I'm guessing 10,000 people is a not an outrageous estimate, if not a lowball), all of the other outrageous shit which presidents need to take with them like bulletproof limousines, backups, the mandatory 30-50 car entourage, etc., etc., etc.

Not to mention there will be airplanes in the air from any of those ships that have aircraft (and I'm assuming at least one of them is an aircraft carrier) at all times of the day and night before, during and after the trip.

What the fuck does all that cost?

A billion? Two billion? Three? Four? Could it possibly be more? I can't imagine it would be over two billion, myself. But that's a huge amount of shit to be hauling around, and all the support people, etc.

My point is not how expensive it is to travel around as President, I'm sure there are more than enough motherfuckers out there who would wan to attack him- but is that kind of money really balanced with (whatever it is the trip is supposed to achieve)?

Really?

PB

[sharp_stick]

22. Or...

the entire story as cooked up by some obscure Indian media outlet is simply full of shit.

I'm leaning to the full of shit option on this whole thing as it's been pretty easily debunked.

[iamtechus]

24. The cost to send 34 warships to India?

Why would this cost more than the training exercises those ships are involved in all the damn time?

All the security people, troops etc are just doing their duty. They are drawing their pay whether they're sitting around some military base in the US or guarding the prez in India; the same for WH staffers and diplomats. What does it cost to rent hotel or two in Mumbai? Not much.

[Bonhomme Richard]

18. It's crap like this that keeps me on my toes. You never....

know what people will come up with.

[Pirate Smile]

20. 34 warships to guard Obama during India trip?Pentagon spox calls the report in Indian paper "absurd

Via Twitter:

@natlsecuritycnn 34 warships to guard Obama during India trip? Pentagon spox calls the report in Indian paper "absurd"

[Posteritatis]

31. Yeah, sounds like that "44 warships are invading Nicaragua" thing from a few months ago

Gotta love peoples' tendency to reflexively believe something as long as it's outrageous enough...

[Mass]

27. What is disappointing is that a few people on DU would accept any crap as true

as long as it can be spinned as negative for Obama.

[Blue_Tires]

39. Yeah, more than a few DUers have run with it...

[Scout]

28. this is NOT true!! FactCheck is our friend....

http://factcheck.org/2010/11/ask-factcheck-trip-to-mumbai/

[Parker CA]

29. FALSE!!

[Uzybone]

30. GOP media has turned many people on this site into fools

no wonder the country votes republican. Even "informed" people believe wild rumors without checking.

[GearHeadTheStalker]

33. Warships would not be needed

if it weren't for the damage done under the Bush/Cheney junta. Damn RepubliKKKans! Damn them all the Hell!

[librechik]

34. not true--this from same source claiming cost of trip ridiculous $200M/day

also untrue--don't spread this crap please --it's just to fluff up Issa's efforts to destroy Obama through "Travelgate" investigation or some such. Paralyzing congress doesn't have to have a real issue when the PuKKKes are in charge.

[WinkyDink]

36. THIS LIE IS ALL OVER THE INTERNET, BUT IT IS STILL A LIE.

[Jim__]

37. Not if it's repeated enough times!

:eyes:

[xor]

38. Ridiculous! This is either some idiot in the media misunderstaning things or someone flat out lying.

[Blue_Tires]

40. That site needs to take that shit down

If it is in fact a real news site...

No reporter is listed at the top, and the 'story' has no sourcing or attribution whatsoever...

[flamingdem]

41. THIS WAS REPORTED AS FALSE ON MSNBC, do your research nt

[scheming daemons]

42. Interesting that the OP hasn't been back to apologize for spreading a lie... n/t

...