I have trouble wrapping my mind around the current events of this week; the public repudiated the policies of President Obama’s administration resoundingly on Tuesday turning over control of the house to the GOP, for which he showed little humility and contrition in a dramatic shift of power, yet three days later he acts, in the midst of a ‘deep’ recession that he claims he saved from a ‘depression’,  as the ‘King & We’  travels to Mumbai today with 3,000 people, multiple warships 9 planes and 40 cars at a cost of  millions a day, while this country is in debt to the tune of $13 trillion.

Yes, we said yesterday that ‘He just doesn’t get it’, and if this Mumbai visit doesn’t prove that he thinks he’s a King, I don’t know what does.

How can this be acceptable to the American public when we have an unemployment rate across this country of more than 20%, not the  the 9.6% number issued by the government which doesn’t factor in the real numbers – they are the numbers the government want’s us to believe.

The mainstream media, for some reason, doesn’t want to cover this extravagance of extremes during a ‘deep’ recession.  The King is getting out of town at a good time for him and his poor performance at an extraordinary taxpayer expense.

Is there no government oversight to this form of behavior?

From India here are some reports on the King’s visit from NDTV that explains the cost of this visit:

The King is expected to fly upon arrival by Marine One from the city airport to the Indian Navy’s helibase INS Shikra at Colaba in south Mumbai.

Two jets, armed with advanced communication and security systems, and a fleet of over 40 cars will be part of the convoy.

About 800 rooms have been booked for the King and his entourage in Taj Hotel and Hyatt.

This in case you don’t remember, was the focal point of the Mumbai attack by terrorists from the sea in 2008, the reason for multiple US warships off the coast of Mumbai.

Apparently the King will have a security ring of American elite Secret Service, which are tasked to guard the President, along with National Security guards and personnel from central parmilitary forces and local police in Mumbai and Delhi.

Similar arrangements will be in place in Delhi, with Air Force One to be kept in all readiness throughout Obama’s stay afternoon Sunday to Tuesday morning.

Maurya Hotel, where the President will stay, has already been swarmed by American security personnel and protective measures have been put in place.

Security drills have already been carried out at the hotel as well as Raighat, where he will visit.

Sources said 13 heavy-lift aircraft with high-tech equipment, three helicopters and 500 US security personnel have arrived in India ahead of Obama’s visit.

The US security has also brought interception and obstruction devices, sniffer dogs and rescue gadgets.

Oh, apart from Obama’s Air Force One, a few private luxury jets carrying top American corporate leaders, who are part of the King’s entourage, are also expected to arrive in India in the next 2-3 days.

All high-rise buildings in the vicinity of Mumbai’s Taj Mahal hotel Delhi’s Maurya Sheraton hotel, where the  US President will stay, are being sanitized and security personnel will be positioned on rooftops to prevent any air-borne attack.

The ridge area – opposite Delhi’s Maurya Sheraton Hotel -  has been illuminated in floodlights as part of the heightened security drill.

The Home Ministry has issued an alert for Mumbai and Delhi asking authorities to take extra precautions during Obama’s visit as well as on Diwali today.

The Pentagon denied the number of warships quoted by NDTV, but would not reveal any security plans and the White House denied the cost per day quoted by NDTV only saying that the cost was equal to previous presidents visits to India.

Now I must ask a few questions, why is the President making this trip and his  advanced security information publicized on the Internet with such specificity?

The trip has been planned for some time and there will be meetings with the leaders of India, China and Japan by Obama.

The reason for the large entourage is to take CEO’s of major corporations to India and open up commercial markets.  This appears to be another example of US government intervention into free markets, no place for our government to intervene.

The ‘King & We’ takes us into the twilight zone where Pharaohs traveled with the likes of an entourage equaled to President Obama’s in their time – but what is the bottom line, and at what price ; a junket at the wrong time and place, and will we ever hear the results and the cost benefit ratio of our King’s trip?

Column revised 11/7/10