January 26th, 2011
06:54 PM ET
Mother Nature waits for no one, even presidentsWASHINGTON (CNN) - President Obama learned that even presidential motorcades can get stuck in snowy Washington, D.C. traffic. After a day trip to Wisconsin Wednesday following his State of the Union Address, President Obama returned to a sleeting and snowing Washington, D.C. What is usually a 10-minute or less helicopter ride aboard Marine One from Joint Base Andrews, formerly known as Andrews Air Force Base, turned into a nearly one hour motorcade ride from the base where Air Force One landed to the White House, according to pool reports. President Obama has previously mocked the region’s inability to handle the winter weather compared to his hometown of Chicago. During his first year in office, he joked about his daughters having a snow day from school because of a little “ice,” as he called it. Back in January 2009, Obama had called D.C. “weather wimps” and said “as my children pointed out, in Chicago, school is never canceled. In fact, my 7-year-old pointed out that you go out for recess. You wouldn't even stay indoors." He went on to say he needed to give the city some "some flinty Chicago toughness" with regard to the weather. According to a report by the National Weather Service, the Washington D.C. area got two to three inches of snow that day. Apparently that toughness hasn't rubbed off. With just a little snow on the ground but 10 inches of snow expected, the federal government went ahead and closed two hours early.
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Federal government closed 2 hrs early due to snow? I dont know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.
They should've closed earlier. Snow hit right before rush hour, resulting in the worst traffic DC has ever seen in history (no joke). 10+ hour commutes for tens of thousands of people. It was horrible.
they have hills in DC, as opposed to Chicago. it makes it a little different.
man, I'm in a lake effect snow zone and get 350 CM of snow per winter on average and it's very rare when school is cancelled but then again we have at least a hundred snow plows roaming the streets on any given day so I can't blame the south for sucking
Just be careful with our precious cargo on board, that being President Obama.
POTUS is precious commodity. You may not like it, but that is how it is. We have elections, our transitions are smooth, and we protect our presidents.
Obama is the President, and that should be foremost in our minds – whether a Democrat or Republican or what color he/she comes in.
I'm a federal employee in DC. 2 hr early release for most folks meant out the door by 1400. Roads were jammed by 1500, very slippery from the snow and ice. Problem with DC is not the weather, it's all the folks who are not from this region and don't know how to drive in snow...people who've been here for years are used to it.
No stories about Pelosi and her abuse of Air Force travel perks ???????????????????????? It is all over the real news sources. But as an Obamist controlled propaganda machine we don't expect truth from CNN.
CNN is in collapse and it still continues to crap on the citizens of America with it disgusting support of the Obama regime.
You're a piece of work. keep up the fine work for Faux News and the rest of the Right-Wing slime machine. By the way, itsn't it about time to rotate the tires on the double-wide?!
Barry would be ashamed of you using divisive words like 'Right-Wing slime machine.' Just last week the Libs were crying over tone. So much for civility.
After 9-11 the Secret Service and The Military agreed that any person in the line of succession could use military transport when necessary. FACT...Speaker Pelosi did not use the airport transport anymore than Speaker Hastert....only difference...FOX did not complain about Hastert because he was a Republican...the ONLY time they complain about a Republican is when they support our President i.e. Colin Powell or when someone criticize the half term Governor who was unaware of the Bush Doctrine and whole host of other complex issues she has proven unable to grasp...yea..that's fair and balanced...naw...Fox is a Joke!
And who is Claudia in Houston ? CNN manages to get her Obama ass kissing posts up pronto on a routine basis.
You and those like you are the reason that America is crumbling. Go see a shrink. You sound like a paranoid schizophrenic.
You sound like a angry redneck. Get over it redneck... Obama is the President of the United States. If you rednecks haven't gotten use to it yet, guess what.. you'll have another 6 years.
You seem shocked by the performance of the POTUS and you post as such. Can we see examples of your work between January, 2001 and January, 2009 when it was a ripe, fertile breeding ground for governmentel criticism?! No?! Gee, I'm stunned...........
Why should it wait? This President is no one of importance. Maybe it doesn't rain in China he should go there?
It took a whole hour? Golly gee! BIG DEAL. I sat in my car in that storm yesterday for 9 hours. He should be grateful it was only an hour.
He could just spread his cockroach wings and fly there by himself if he really wanted too!!!
What? His holiness couldn't make the snow go away?
no dennis, he couldn't, but if he had a broom like sarah he would fly over the snow.
Don't you realize, It was President Bush's fault.
@root and branch; 'her OBAMA 'ass-KISSING posts', huh?!? Claudia in Huston obviously is one of the few 'TEXAS' intelligent, reasonable, progressive, yet liberal DEMOCRATS, who voted for OBAMA, respects his position, and has compassion for the stonewalling and evil firestorm he's up against, as do I! 'Fair & Balanced'! CNN seems to put your OBAMA ass-KICKING posts up PRONTO, on a routine basis too! You are a divisive, meanspirited clown! BTW, of What tree are you the 'root and branch'? THE GREAT 'WHITE' OAK?
You go KatR, Dallas Democrat, Brendan H., San Antonio,Tx, RG,Tex, Houston,Tx, FactReasonandlogic, and kayla! @USPatriot38, 'This PRESIDENT is no one of importance' huh? OK? How can that claim about any US PRESIDENT be patriotic, PATRIOT? The retired 30 year VETERAN!?!