In the past, when a sitting president has hit the campaign trail, they’ve leased their own campaign bus which the Secret Service would then retrofit with all the latest security features. But no longer, as Talking Points Memo reports that the presidential bodyguards are buying their own bespoke campaign bus, reportedly from Hemphill Brothers Coach Company. Secret Service spokesman Jim Mackin explains
We’ve never been fully comfortable with the security provided by a bus we lease and then try to retro-fit. This would be just like other vehicles we’re adding to our fleet. We’d use them for the campaign, but they’re not for campaign purposes. They would be part of our fleet — just like our limos, just like our follow-ups, just like our emergency vehicles.
And this isn’t just for President Obama: one of the two new buses will be made available to the Republican candidate as well. And because the buses are government property, they won’t be allowed to have campaign logos and both campaigns will have to reimburse the Secret Service for their use. There’s no word on what retrofits the new buses will receive, but we’d be disappointed to find there’s not at least one minigun turret. Because you can never have enough miniguns on the campaign trail… [Hat Tip: Dan Licht]
“buying their own bespoke campaign bus, reportedly from Hemphill Brothers Coach Company.”
For a brief history, the Hemphill Brothers were a country act in the 50’s and early 60’s. They owned their own bus. Apparently, the band wasn’t very good, and nobody wanted to book them, so they leased their bus to other bands. And that’s where it all began :)
To see Romney’s campaign bus from ’08, parked in his driveway after he got out of the race, go here:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/the-candidates-choice/
Id make the useless bastards get the regular bus and pay their own way
Seems like it would be cheaper (and probably more secure) to just take an MRAP that the Army already owns, paint it gloss black, and install heated leather seats and air conditioning.
MRAP’s already have a/c. I think an RG-33 is properly Presidential.
Too bad these vehicles can’t help them navigate the more treacherous _political_ minefield.
Agreed about the miniguns, those campaign trails are tricky…angry momma grizzlies can show up at any time…
They better not be for campaign purposes if I’m paying for it. We’re spending too much on the presidency as it is with planes and staff and everything else.