Monday, February 28, 2011

More FOD 2011.02.28

If this is true - and I haven't seen any denials yet - the hypocrisy boggles the mind.
With a schedule as hectic as President Obama's it must be hard to stick to a training regimen without help -- but why does he insist on having his old trainer fly out from Chicago to D.C. regularly when Obama and his wife exhort the rest of us to drive less? And in a recession? According to Ashley Parker at the New York Times, Obama's fitness czar Cornell McClellan comes out to D.C. every week:
McClellan ... now spends part of his week in Washington at Mr. Obama’s request.

... but that comes at a steep cost for those as environmentally minded as the Obamas: 50,000 lbs of carbon emissions. That's how much carbon emissions are involved in McClellan's flying back and forth every week for a year (according to TerraPass.com).
Couldn't they have just hired someone in D.C. to take over the training? The Yellow Pages provides over 56 entries under "Personal Fitness Trainers" alone, most of whom would have been able to reach the White House by bike.

Doing so would have at least been consistent with Obama's statements about the need to reduce emissions. Last July, Obama announced that he wanted federal workers to cut down on business travel and commuting by car in order to reduce emissions produced by the federal government:

Even if Obama were to put his money where his mouth is and purchase (carbon) offsets for McClellan's Chicago-to-D.C. commute, the message is pretty clear: If you're an average federal employee or your everyday taxpayer, stop driving and be careful of your carbon footprint. If you're in the White House and you want some toned arms and a firm buttocks, fly your trainer out from Chicago every week.
Of course, with gas prices skyrocketing as they are, thanks to obama's war on the domestic energy industry and inept foreign policy, most of us will have to cut back on our driving. We can't afford to do otherwise.

Do as I say, not as I do. What a hypocritical asshole.

Is anyone really surprised?

No comments: