foreign force this size probably hasn't been in India since the era of British colonization.

But with a security entourage the size of a modest army supposedly buffering President Obama on his visit Friday, the Indian government is welcoming its long-awaited guest for three days of talks aimed at strengthening ties and trade between the world's two largest democracies.

The logistical details of the trip are mind-boggling and if not for an historic midterm election surely would have dominated the headlines over the past week. With the president and his staff making a point to stay at the Mumbai hotel ravaged by terrorists in 2008, the security arrangements have become the stuff of legend before Air Force One even takes off.

The details on the trip, extensively reported in the Indian media but strongly disputed by U.S. officials, read like lyrics for a hawkish version of "The 12 Days of Christmas."

The president will be accompanied by 40 aircraft, 3,000 people, a fleet of cars and 34 warships, according to a string of blow-by-blow news updates. The Press Trust of India quoted an official in the state of Maharashtra pegging the cost at $200 million a day.

Obama's said to have booked the entire Taj Mahal Palace hotel and, according to The Wall Street Journal, Mumbai officials have ordered coconuts plucked from palm trees outside a memorial the president is scheduled to visit to ensure there are no bumps on the noggin. In Delhi, the president's second stop, monkeys have been the subject of a municipal crackdown.

The Obama administration has pushed back on the some of the more sensational claims about the trip.

White House spokesman Tommy Vietor shot down the $200 million-a-day figure -- to put the outrageous sum in context, that's 5 million times Rachael Ray's recommended $40 a day.

"The numbers reported in this article have no basis in reality. Due to security concerns, we are unable to outline details associated with security procedures and costs, but it's safe to say these numbers are wildly inflated," Vietor said.

Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell also outright rejected the claim that 34 warships would patrol the Mumbai coast while Obama is in town.

I think there has been a lot of creative writing that's been done on this trip over the last few days," he said. "We obviously have some support role for presidential travel ... but I will take the liberty this time of dismissing as absolutely absurd, this notion that somehow we are deploying 10 percent of the Navy, some 34 ships and an aircraft carrier in support of the president's trip to Asia -- that's just comical.

"Nothing close to that is being done, but the notion that president would require security as he travels to India and elsewhere should not come as a surprise to anyone," he said.

A military official also told Fox News the warship claim was inaccurate. The official knew of no such plans and said, besides, a carrier strike group typically has 10-12 ships at most.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser for strategic communication, stressed at a briefing last week that those precautions that are being taken are all rooted in security concerns.

"We take our guidance from the Secret Service and our security personnel as to what precautions are necessary to ensure that the president has a safe visit," he said when asked about the booking of the entire Taj hotel. "That decision ... is not made by us. It's made by the professionals who know what the requirements are. So we follow their guidance."

The Taj hotel was the scene of the final standoff between Indian commandos and terrorists who rampaged across the country's largest city during the 2008 attacks. That attack was staged by sea.

But Rhodes sought to quiet any suggestion that the administration is not confident in India's own preparations for the president's visit.

"I would underscore we think that India is a strong and safe and resilient country that is, with effective counterterrorism," he said. "But again, with respect to our security requirements, we're just guided by the Service."

Indian security officials are planning extensive measures to ensure the security of the president's entourage. The Times of India reported that Delhi police will send out 2,000 officers and personnel to secure the president's travel routes.

Obama heads to Delhi, India's capital, after participating in a business summit, a town hall with university students and other events in Mumbai. In Delhi, he is expected to dine with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife, formally meet with the prime minister and other officials and eventually deliver an address to the Indian parliament.

India is just the first stop on a multi-leg Asian tour through Indonesia, Japan and South Korea. The president is leaving just after his party suffered historic losses in Congress, in an election that saw the Republicans take control of the House and pick up at least six seats in the Senate.

In advance of his visit, the president released a statement Thursday marking the Indian holiday of Diwali.

"This holiday reminds us all that we should commit ourselves to helping those in need. For many, this is also a time to gather with family and to pray. To those celebrating Diwali in India, I look forward to visiting you over the next few days," Obama said.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/11/04/security-entourage-earning-epic-reputation-ahead-obama-india-visit/

I think there is some truth to the exxageration. I could use a carrier group off the coast of India by the hotel(since the terrorist attack was easily pulled off and it was conducted by water and there is a high terror alert for India).

I am not objecting to whatever they think they need to do to keep him safe. We need India as an ally and right now it's a dangerous country for an American President to travel to. Especially with all the attempted terror attacks over the past weeks.

I think he should cut back his entourage though and travel with the bare minimum needed to conduct his business.

According to snopes this is hogwash. They didn't give a number for the supposed actual cost and also I find it funny that this was posted so quickly, their first source was posted yesterday. I'm waiting for truth or fiction to post something and see what they have to say.

jealous.
haha.

Well stateside it costs approximately between $150,000 and $200,000 per stop when the President travels without complications.

So I could see the meter spinning really fast when he goes to India.

Could be.

I highly doubt 34 ships though. That would be insane for a Presidential visit. I could see a small carrier group off the coast for protection and an emergency evacuation.

And I question his 3000 person entourage too!

Unless that's counting the crew of the 34 ships!

40 Planes is a little much too since it's usually just Air Force One, the cargo plane and sometimes a third plane and a fighter escort. So maybe 10 planes max.

I haven't seen anything that shows this is actually true. But, it doesn't surprise me that people believe it.

There is some truth to it, even though it is a clear exageration.

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle will be extremely busy in Mumbai, upon landing on November 6 for a two day India visit. As the world’s most powerful man and his wife zip around the city visiting the 26/11 memorial on Marine Drive, the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mani Bhawan and other locations in south Mumbai, the security obviously will be water-tight .



Adding to the Obamas’ busy schedule is Michelle’s likely visit to Kamathipura, where she will meet commercial sex workers on the invitation of an NGO. The highprofile visit is likely to inconvenience the citizens, as there could be a complete clampdown on traffic on some main roads of south Mumbai and sanitisation of buildings flanking them.




The Obamas will stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel, and his itinerary practically means Marine Drive will be shut for vehicular traffic on the day of the President’s visit, while buildings flanking it will be sanitised with security personnel manning them until Obama has left the place. Same would be the case with Obama’s visit to Mani Bhawan and Michelle going to Kamathipura.



An officer with the security establishment said, “Several other arterial roads in south Mumbai will also see restricted traffic movement, with tight security all around. The Obamas are not expected to schedule any engagements in the night due to security reasons.”


Since Obama is expected to arrive in the afternoon on November 6, and will travel by road to the Taj Mahal Hotel, the entire stretch from airport to the hotel will be under heavy security. The officer said, “There will be no vehicular movement on Western Express Highway at that time. Traffic on roads leading up to the highway will also be stopped. All buildings flanking the entire stretch will be sanitised. However, there is no threat from the snipers as the President will travel in a bullet-proof car with 4.5-inch thick sheets, which are impenetrable for any gun.”
Obama’s personal security staff itself will be huge, and it has already started making its own arrangements in Mumbai. “A team of secret service agents has already arrived, and has surveyed the areas of his stay and the roads and places on his itinerary,” the officer said.



To ensure fool-proof security, the President’s team has booked the entire the Taj Mahal Hotel, including 570 rooms, all banquets and restaurants. Since his security contingent and staff will comprise a huge number, 125 rooms at Taj President have also been booked, apart from 80 to 90 rooms each in Grand Hyatt and The Oberoi hotels. The NCPA, where the President is expected to meet representatives from the business community, has also been entirely booked.
The officer said, “Obama’s contingent is huge. There are two jumbo jets coming along with Air Force One, which will be flanked by security jets. There will be 30 to 40 secret service agents, who will arrive before him. The President’s convoy has 45 cars, including the Lincoln Continental in which the President travels.”



Since Obama will stay in a hotel that is on sea front, elaborate coastal security arrangements have been made by the US Navy in consonance with the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard. “There will be US naval ships, along with Indian vessels , patrolling the sea till about 330-km from the shore. This is to negate the possibility of a missile being fired from a distance,” the officer said.



The President will be accompanied by his chefs, not because he would not like to savour Indian cuisine, but to ensure his food is not spiked.



US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are scheduled to land in Mumbai on November 6.



http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/Barack-and-Michelles-Mumbai-darshan-plans/articleshow/6797379.cms

http://www.wral.com/golo/blogpost/8504594/

Obviously he's going to India and taking people with him.

And truth to the military and security measures.

yea, another lie... cut back white house spending, except for him and the queen meechelle...

No, President Obama's trip is not going to cost $200 million a day.

That figure -- first thrown out by a single Indian media outlet and now viral on conservative talk radio -- is wildly off the mark.

The problem is that the costs for these trips are impossible to determine, for many of the president's expenses would be incurred whether he was visiting India or Atlanta or simply hanging around the White House. Obama's India trip starts an Asian swing that includes South Korea, Indonesia and Japan.

The administration isn't inclined to detail costs, most of which deal with security.

"The numbers reported in this article have no basis in reality," said White House spokesman Tommy Vietor. "Due to security concerns, we are unable to outline details associated with security procedures and costs, but it's safe to say these numbers are wildly inflated."

To be sure, these trips do cost millions of dollars per day.

Whenever a president travels, he or she takes a mini-White House with them, from bulletproof limousines to gaggles of aides. This can come in awfully handy when trouble happens, such as the terrorist attacks on 9/11 when George W. Bush was in Florida. Ronald Reagan was traveling in Asia when the Chernobyl nuclear plant in what was then the Soviet Union blew up in 1986.

Foreign trips are expensive but are a staple of presidential duties. India is a rising economy power. It is next to -- and has an intense rivalry with -- one of the world's most dangerous countries, Pakistan. It can be a counterweight to threats from China. Any president is going to deal with India.

Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim majority nation. South Korea is the site of a G-20 global economic summit. Japan is hosting the annual Asian economic summit, which Obama's predecessors also attended. There's no evidence that Obama's team is spending any more money than its predecessors, taking inflation into account.

Yes, these gigs will cost money. But $200 million a day? Not even close.

One other thing to keep in mind: The Secret Service is not going to let anything happen to a president overseas if they can help it. They're going to do -- and spend -- whatever it takes. That's just a fact of life.

One last thing: The media organizations accompanying Obama will pay their own expenses.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/11/obamas-india-trip----not-as-expensive-as-you-may-have-heard/1

Ever hear of Go to meeting?

It's more then just the Secret Service protecting him overseas. The military, DSS, FBI and all other law enforcement agencies come in to play.

I believe it is all handled by the White House Military Office.

India is still a hott target for terrorists and tensions between Pakistan(who is harboring AQ and Taliban terrorists) and India. The Secret Service doesn't have the resources to protect the President in this situation alone.

I have seen what happens when the President comes to town. I was one of 5 volunteers with the state Republican Party in 2007 picked to help the White House Press Office at an event here in Reno for the VFW convention. I got to escort members of the press from the entrance to their designated area. I have never seen anything like it. There were Secret Service Agents everywhere. One of them that I talked to said that a few of them got pulled off their assignments in the Bay Area to come up and assist at the event. There was also Uniformed Secret Service, Port Authority, Officers from all the local law enforcement agencies, FBI Agents, US Marshalls and I am sure many other agencies were all there.

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So he's not going to india?

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because most liberals are clueless...

He's going to India with an Unusually large entougage and booking out the entire hotel(which I have never seen before).

I do love how he blasts corporate america for the lavish traveling and spending but he turns around and travels like a king.