The Fundraiser-In-Chief: The Ukraine can wait. So can the border...

[arch stanton]

I have yet to figure out why the President (this started with Bush, Jr. and it continues with Obama) now flies into McCarran Airport instead of Nellis Air Force Base. For those not familiar with Las Vegas. McCarran sits adjacent to Las Vegas Boulevard (the Strip) between Sunset and Tropicana. This means that any major dignitary leaving from there causes massive traffic problems as some of the most heavily-traveled streets in the city are shut down for long periods of time. Nellis sits adjacent to the city of North Las Vegas in an area with far less traffic. It was a lot less disruptive when the President flew in to the base.

 

Biden's visit caused significant traffic problems. Fortunately for me, I don't work anywhere near the Strip so I'm not affected as much as some people are.

I guess it depends on what's going on at Nellis. If there's a Red Flag or something there isn't a lot of room to secure the aircraft and it's pretty disruptive to what's going on there. Not to mention the extra 15 minutes it might take to get to the strip.

[Tank]

"I feel like the President only comes to LA for money. He's like a college student who only comes home to do laundry and steal all the food out of the fridge."

 

- Jimmy Kimmel 7/23/14

[DowningRules]

"I feel like the President only comes to LA for money. He's like a college student who only comes home to do laundry and steal all the food out of the fridge."

 

- Jimmy Kimmel 7/23/14

 

That's funny.  He forgot to put in there that the kid also uses the parents' car and doesn't leave any gas in the tank when he's done partying. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Does flying there get Biden closer to Circus Circus?

 

It would, yes.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I guess it depends on what's going on at Nellis. If there's a Red Flag or something there isn't a lot of room to secure the aircraft and it's pretty disruptive to what's going on there. Not to mention the extra 15 minutes it might take to get to the strip.

 

Seems to me that it is a lot easier to secure Air Force One on a military base than at a public airport. The two or three times I have seen it at McCarran, the plane was parked adjacent to the cargo terminal with the nose facing Sunset Road. The plane is parked in plain view of the street with only a chain link fence along the edge of the airport.  The only security measure (apart from the Secret Service guys on the tarmac around the plane) is that the police close the observation area along Sunset where people usually park to watch planes come and go.

 

As far as I know there wasn't any unusual activity going on at Nellis this week.

Edited July 31, 2014 by Vegas Halo Fan

[TobiasFunke]

As far as you know, Air Force one at McCarran is a decoy