President Bush Rides In Style

Mark Knoller: The President Brought His Own Transportation To The G-8 Summit

(CBS)  By CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller

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All the world leaders at the G-8 Summit are supposed to be equal in stature. But in some ways, President George W. Bush is more equal than others.

It became evident as each of the leaders arrived for the opening-night dinner of the summit at a stately Baroque manor house dating back to the 18th century on an estate called Hohen Luckow.

First came Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, then Italy's Romano Prodi, Canada's Stephen Harper and Britain's Tony Blair. They were followed by French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Russia's Vladimir Putin. They each arrived in a chauffeur-driven minivan supplied by the German government.

But when Mr. Bush pulled up, it wasn't in a minivan: He and the First Lady stepped out of one of his familiar black Cadillac presidential limousines with D.C. license plates. It was a reminder that the U.S. Secret Service and the Pentagon spend a considerable fortune flying presidential vehicles all over the world.

Soviet leaders used to get that kind of treatment during the days of the Cold War: Mikhail Gorbachev was a familiar sight getting out of a lumbering Russian-made Zil limo. But at the G-8 dinner, it was a minivan like everyone else for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his wife.

But it's not just his ground ride that puts the American president a notch above the other leaders, at least in terms of transportation.

Of course, they each flew here aboard one of their country's government planes — some big and impressive, others less so. Putin arrived on an Ilyushin 96, a four-engine aircraft reminiscent of an old Boeing 707. But none of the aircraft came close to matching the grandeur of the 747 that serves as Air Force One.

To transport the leaders from the airport here in Rostock to the site of the summit at a luxury hotel on the Baltic Sea in the town of Heiligendamm, the German government provided a state police helicopter.

But not for President Bush: He flew on one of the familiar green-and white-top helicopters that serve as Marine One back home.

On this trip, the HMX-1 unit that provides presidential chopper service is flying the VH-60N Black Hawk. It's the smaller companion of the VH-3D Sea King that most frequently serves as Marine One.

President Bush is known to refer to the smaller chopper as "the Volkswagen" — so it seems somehow appropriate that that's what he's flying here in Germany.

[lfloeber]

Why would CBS start grabbing for straws. This is such petty stuff. Every President uses these units and travel with tight security. If they want to do some 'bush bashing' -again- there is plenty of real concern in the immigration 'deal'.

This sophmoric criticism deminishes CBS credibility, if that is possible.

[huanaco]

IMPEACH THE BIG FOOL SPENDER.

[durable36]

President Bush, in using his own transportation, is doing something that is not unusual for him. For a person that continually talks about ENERGY SAVINGS, is the first one to abuse it. He takes his vacations in Texas, but his entourage and guests have to use energy to fly out to see him. Why can't he stay in D.C. and have his staff and guests visit him there?
What is wrong with Camp David? All though he uses a helicopter, his staff drives. This is ENERGY SAVINGS.

[pthodai]

If Mr. Knoller thinks that a small fortune was spent ferrying ground transportation for Pres Bush at the G8 Conference, he should look into how much is spent preparing for a Presential visit abroad. The USG sends a pre-advance team, an advance team and then the presential party itself. Just for a six-hour stopover in Bogota, Colombia in March this year there were a couple of hundred White House staffers, State Dept staffers, military staffers and security people on the ground prepping and staffing the brief visit. How much money does Mr. Knoller think was spent for this grand visit? As Mr. Vonnegut said, "So it goes".