http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9069129/

 

It should really say "the president" because the numbers are the same for every single president. There's only one president, and there's 300 million other Americans. I'm not sure I really care about how much fuel the president has to use, regardless of who the president is.

 

If memory serves, Clinton never drove an 06 Caddy.

 

Um, why does that even become a story at all? The President is required to ride in armoured, bulletproofed, bombproofed vehicles, which by their nature will be reinforced and HEAVIER and thus the MPG will suffer.

What kind of idiotic reporter even thought up a story like that? They get my DOUBLE-DUH award of the week........My Gosh.......

 

I guess it takes having lived in Europe to know how many other heads of state use armored electric rail as their primary mode of continental transportation.

 

Didn't some top politician in one of the northern European countries get assassinated about two or three years ago while riding public transit? The US has way too many enemies to NOT give security the #1 priority. It's not like Bush is unique either, does anyone else remember how it seems like every other day someone was suggesting that Clinton be taken out? It's ridiculous, really.

 

Oh I agree there's a need for security; I'm not suggesting Bush or any politician without a deathwish take the city bus to Pennsylvania Avenue. I just think it's nice to know others are doing even what they can, like those I mentioned that ride armored caravans of electric transit rail. Or the German government, which provides state-of-the-art, highly efficient Airbus jets to hop officials around instead of a behemoth 747. Yes, Airbus is a German company, but would it kill us to setup some of our leaders on a cleaner, enviromentally sounder American-made Boeing like the 777?

 

Actually the 747 is the most efficient Boeing in it's weight class. FedEx just placed an order for 40 more last month, I believe.

 

Ok, found some news stories on it. UPS ordered 8 more:

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandf...n/12449465.htm

Chinese cargo company ordered 6 for themselves:

http://www.flightinternational.com/A...7-400ERFs.html

It's an old design, but it's still good enough that cargo companies (whose purchasing decisions are almost exclusively based on cost of operation) still like the big plane.

 

And precisely what weight class is necessary to roomily hold 150 or so personnel? Please. You could argue the H2 is the most efficient vehicle for its chassis mass and run a competition for most pointless assertion.

The fact is that it's not okay to waste when you could save, and that's why most of us are here.