Media Matters slams Fox Noise "bloviator" by pointing to cost of Bush's Crawford trips: $20 million

[ProSense]

Tantaros thinks Obama should model Bush's vacation schedule?

In her most recent column, frequent Fox News bloviator Andrea Tantaros treated us to a tedious (and largely cribbed) criticism of Michelle Obama's vacation. Between randomly flinging around insults like "modern-day Marie Antoinette" and scathingly attacking Obama for taking a "glitzy" and "posh" vacation during a recession, Tantaros finally gets around to telling us her real beef: "Transporting and housing the estimated 70 Secret Service agents who will flank the material girl will cost the taxpayers a pretty penny."

Instead, Tantaros decides the Obamas should look to their predecessor for guidance on appropriate vacations:

For a couple that has sharply criticized former President George W. Bush so widely, they could stand to follow his example for once and select a more low-key locale, as Bush regularly did in his Texas vacations.

Yes. Tantaros actually suggested that, to save money, the Obama's should look to Bush's supposedly less "posh" vacations, and "follow his example." Let's take a look at that suggestion in more detail.

Aside from Camp David, President Bush's two favorite vacation retreats were: the Crawford, Texas ranch he bought just before coming president in order to look like a regular guy, and his father's Kennebunkport, Maine compound. Bush's Crawford ranch -- a sprawling, 1,583 acre riverfront property Bush reportedly purchased for $1.2 million, on which he built a 4,000-square-foot main house, a guest house, next to the already-existing "Governor's house" -- certainly qualifies a "posh" in my book. And I would challenge anyone to refer to Bush the elder's estate, which reportedly was built for his grandfather George Walker in 1903, and boasts nine bedrooms, four sitting rooms, a pool, tennis court, dock, boathouse, and a guesthouse -- and is reportedly worth $8 million -- as "low-key."

But getting back to her suggestion that following Bush's example would save taxpayer money. President Bush took 149 trips to Camp David, 77 visits to his Crawford ranch, and 11 trips to his father's Kennebunkport mansion. Since Air Force One reportedly cost $56,800 per hour to operate in 2004 (which Bush used to get to Crawford), and the plane can travel up to 630 miles per hour, it cost at least $259,657 to get the 2,880 miles to Crawford and back, each time Bush went, or roughly $20 million dollars just for taking the plane on the Crawford trips alone. Add in the cost of putting up Secret Service and other staff for the ranch trips, as well as the Kennebunkport and Camp David trips, and you get, well, a lot.

Probably not the best model for the Obamas to follow, if the goal is saving taxpayer money. Hopefully the Obamas will treat Tantaros' helpful suggestion with all the seriousness it deserves.

Edited to add link to this Daily Kos diary: Bush Made 77 Trips to Crawford TX at $226,072 a Pop

[davidinalameda]

1. but at least that money stayed in the US

:sarcasm:

[Ganja Ninja]

2. It's not just his crawford trips.

For his whole first term Bush was on the campaign trail flying from rally to rally to rally on the tax payer's tab.

[ProSense]

4. You're right, but the $20 million is the cost of his Crawford trips. n/t

[denimgirly]

3. Easy: Fox supports Repubz and Scorns Dems -- The real question is why Dems dont Voice it too

Understandable that fox is a 24/7 news outlet for the right but seeing as how the right seems to repeat their message in sync until it catches on i see no reason why the dems dont do the same when it happens. THey could have voiced these concerns during bush but didnt...Fox certainly wont.

So seeing Fox and repubs say something now just allows the other news heads to have somethign to say and democrats to once again look like fools.

So not sure the repubs or Fox is to blame since they are doing what is expected...where are the democrats?

[Bolo Boffin]

5. This "First Welfare Queen" tactic used by Fox and friends is really working my last nerve. n/t

[ProSense]

6. Deleted, wrong place. n/t

[SunsetDreams]

7. K&R

[izzybeans]

8. When Bush I or II goes to Kennebunkport - the harbor is sealed off

literally - by fully armed Navy Seals. Only a select few boats have clearance to get in while the Bushes are in town and they have to pass checkpoints in order to park in their slips.

This means they deploy boats every time they visit to set up a perimeter. The cost of that has to be tremendous. My father-in-law saw this in action two years ago when he went to visit my wife's cousin.

The SS also maintains a fleet of boats to follow them on their fishing and sailing extravaganzas.