Moochelle's $500K Safari Adventure

Courtesy of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, the good folks at Judicial Watch finally got the expense records and passenger manifests from the United States Air Force related to the June 21-27, 2011, trip taken by First Lady Michelle Obama, her family and her entourage to South Africa and Botswana.

The results are absolutely appalling, give America's economic challenges.

The Air force provided a C-32 - a Boeing 757 modified by the military for the purpose of flying people with clout - to fly First Lady Michelle Obama, her two daughters and her mother, a niece and a nephew, a hairstylist, makeup artists and various aides and hangers on to South Africa and Botswana to give a couple of speeches, meet Nelson Mandela, and oh yes - enjoy a safari on a private celebrity game preserve.

The flight alone cost US taxpayers $424,142, with another $928.44 listed as the cost of providing 192 meals for the 21 people who made the trip.That doesn't include the total of all costs for the First Lady's trip, such as expenses for security, ground transportation,laundry, room service, hotels, or the safari vacay. Half a million, easy.

As a real laugher, the Obama daughters were listed on the passenger manifest as "senior staff."

The supposed purpose of this luxury trip to South Africa and Botswana was to speak on education, health and wellness issues.

“This trip was as much an opportunity for the Obama family to go on a safari as it was a trip to conduct government business,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “This junket wasted tax dollars and the resources of our overextended military. No wonder we had to sue to pry loose this information.”

Or to use the First Lady's own words, this was yet another opportunity for her to get back at our 'downright mean country' by running up yet another huge tab.

Update: Long time Joshua's Army member Louie Louie points out that $928.44 for 192 meals comes out to $4.83 per meal, which is pretty frugal. But when you do the math, there were 21 people on the trip being served, and 192 'meals'. Works out to 27 'meals' per day for 21 people, so either the $$ amount is understated or a large part of it is for liquor, which means the actual cost for food is higher by almost 1/3. And that doesn't count meals eaten off the plane.

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