AP: Only ONE PERCENT of $203M Bush raised for reelection used to reimburse gov't for travel costs

[Amerigo Vespucci]

The Republican National Committee released a tailored, satirical attack ad Monday as President Barack Obama began a three-day bus tour of the Midwest, focusing on jobs and the economy.

***

In June 2004, the Associated Press published a report saying that Bush had used his Air Force One privileges for campaign travel more often than any president in history. Federal Election Commission rules stipulate that for campaign trips using the presidential plane, the campaign must reimburse the government the equivalent of a first-class commercial fare for each person on board.

Compared to the $56,800 estimated to operate Air Force One per hour, the first-class fare is a bargain.

Only 1 percent of the $203 million Bush raised for his reelection campaign went toward reimbursing the government for travel costs, according to the AP's report.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/08/15/rnc-attack-on-obamas-bus-tour-ignores-bushs-political-travel-costs/

[pennylane100]

1. and we won't even discuss the cost of the phony excuse he used when he started a war.

Our children and grandchildren may end up paying for that little lie. I just posted a comment on a thread about a woman who is going back to prison for shop lifting and will probably die for lack of medical care yet this moron and his crimes live on. Remember when someone tells you America is the greatest country on earth.

[DCKit]

2. Papa Bush was worse.

I live on the DC waterfront and was working nights when G.W. was running for reelection. Breakfast in the deep south, back to DC, lunch in the mid-west, back to DC, then dinner in the north-east - three and four helicopters (at a time) past my windows, six times a day, nearly every day for three months (and it really seemed like every day). I didn't get much sleep.

Due to Jr.'s paranoia, he (at least) was using alternative routes for his trips to and from Andrew's AFB and I didn't have to hear it. But you can be damn sure I have pics of his departure from DC on that last trip out on Marine One. Yee Haw!!!!

At those rates of travel, OUR President will have to relinquish fewer than 20 hours on AF-One to pay for each of the buses - about a day of travel for either of the BushCo pResidents.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. "Only" 2 million dollars? How thrifty.

It's amazing what Enron-style accounting can accomplish.