Someday, hundreds, if not thousands, of years from now, future civilizations will look at the extended entourage that surrounded every movement of the Commander-in-Chief, and perhaps they'll marvel at it the way we now marvel at how ancient kings were buried with all their riches in pyramids.
Or at least that's my thought today as I look at the extremely troubled presidential helicopter program. Apparently, it needs another billion dollars to go forward, reports Reuters:
Now, to be fair, this is not really a unique problem. Most of the cost issues are similar to those of any military program. Meaning, the military adds requirements, and that adds cost and extends the schedule. But, as Reuters notes, the White House has a hand in this, too: "Some of the White House changes are relatively minor, such as plush carpeting, while many are classified and include communications equipment and extending the aircraft's range."
Plush carpeting!? Yes, I realize that's a minuscule contribution to what is now a multi-billion dollar program, but hey, I'm just thinking, if you found out your new car was a billion dollars over a budget, would that really be a good time to ask for leather upholstery? For the sake of appearances the White House could consider using those nifty carpet tiles I've seen them put down in the Pentagon.
Utilitarian, sturdy, and cheap.
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