Pirate's Cove

Just remember, Barack Obama wants all Americans to cut back, be frugal, and don’t forget, think about their carbon footprint. But, like any good liberal, he’s a completele hypocrite, and has put the American People on the hook for another couple hundred thousand dollars

The Obamas escaped Washington on Saturday in search of a quintessential New York evening — dinner and a Broadway show.

They found it at Blue Hill, a low-key Greenwich Village restaurant, and at the Belasco Theater near Times Square for a performance of “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” the Tony-nominated August Wilson play.

Times Square was even more frenetic than usual, as throngs of pedestrians — certainly including many tourists — lined several blocks waiting to catch a glimpse of Mr. and Mrs. Obama. The presidential date night began with a late-afternoon flight from Andrews Air Force Base, with Mr. Obama wearing a dark blue suit (no tie), and Mrs. Obama a black cocktail dress and a sleek updo, holding a turquoise clutch.

They landed at Kennedy International Airport at 4:45 p.m. and after taking a quick helicopter ride to Lower Manhattan, the presidential motorcade snaked its way up to Blue Hill, a restaurant off Washington Square Park that specializes in cuisine from the Hudson Valley. (It sounded like the choice of Mrs. Obama, who favors local food.)

Notice what’s missing? That’s right, no real mention of what plane he took. Nor do most other stories from the Credentialed Media (except the Politico’s, mentioned below.) He actually took a smaller Gulfstream style government jet, along with two others that carried staff and reporters, can’t go anywhere without reporters, even on a date. So, first the Obama’s jumped in Marine One at the White House, flew to Andrews, hopped on a smaller AF1, jetted off to NYC, then took another government helicopter, then a limo with full motorcade. All on the public dime (though I am going to assume that the Obama’s paid for dinner and the theater out of their own pocket, unless proven otherwise.) And what does Obama say about this vast extravagance?

“I am taking my wife to New York City,” the president said in the statement, “because I promised her during the campaign that I would take her to a Broadway show after it was all finished.”

Imagine had President Bush pulled this. The MSM would have been going ballistic, rather then printing an “oh, aren’t they cute” story (also here). Everyone on the Left would have been demanding that Bush pay for the trip out of his own pocket. And the GOP was apparently hip to this trip before it even occured

The Republican National Committee slammed the outing in an “RNC Research Piece”: “As President Obama prepares to wing into Manhattan’s theater district on Air Force One to take in a Broadway show, GM is preparing to file bankruptcy and families across America continue to struggle to pay their bills. … Have a great Saturday evening – even if you’re not jetting off somewhere at taxpayer expense. … PUTTING ON A SHOW: Obamas Wing Into The City For An Evening Out While Another Iconic American Company Prepares For Bankruptcy.”

Do as he says, not as he does.

• Jazz Shaw at the Moderate Voice starts out well, but then degenerates into BDS regarding “Bush’s vacations.” No mention that work was actually being done while at Camp David and his Crawford home.
• No Sheeples Here writes regarding Deputy Press Secretary’s unwillingness to provide the cost: Yes you can, Josh. You just won’t because it will piss off taxpayers who are footing the bill.
• Flopping Aces: I thought we had a serious financial crisis that required everyone to sacrifice?
• Apparently, the Bush vacation meme is what was sent out in talking points, since Maha goes there in an almost duplicate of Jazz’s post. No outrage about the hypocrisy from Obama and the cost to the taxpayers.
• Gay Patriot: Evita & Michelle Spend Your Money For Broadway Junket
• Dan Riehl is wondering more about the rank hypocrisy of the media

More at Memeorandum.

More: Tigerhawk

But, I am very much with Rob. If you believe, and President Obama says he does, that the production of greenhouse gases will lead to global catastrophe and therefore that we have a fierce moral urgancy to give up our energy-intensive ways, flying three planes to New York to take in a show is nothing less than outrageous. Imagine the entirely different pro-Gaia message if the Obamas had taken over a few cars on an Accela Express and ridden it up to Penn Station Biden-style?

It is also bad politics; how are voters going to accept fear of climate change as a justification for massively higher energy prices if the president wastes it with public and joyful profligacy? They, like me, will believe it is a crisis when the people who say it is a crisis start acting as if it were one.

Glenn Reynolds goes Bee Gee’s, which is funny, since the Muzak system just play the song about 30 minutes ago: BLAMING IT ALL on the nights on Broadway.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU