Barack Obama hits the road with a fresh look

As Barack Obama traipses across a couple of continents to establish his foreign policy bona fides for the White House, he's traveling in a buffed-up campaign plane, complete with new lettering on its side. But as he intensifies his effort to appear presidential, it seems he's learned his lesson about prematurely appropriating the trappings of the office.

A month ago, Obama and his campaign took a fair amount of guff when he spoke from a lectern adorned with a presidential-looking seal -- a decorative touch that quickly got mothballed.

This weekend, as his foreign travels neared a transition from a congressional "fact-finding" tour -- with transportation provided by the government -- to a candidate-financed trip, the Obama campaign rolled out its refurbished Boeing 757.

As it streaks across the sky and taxis in and out of various airports, the plane won't be mistaken for Air Force One, which on its fuselage includes the authentic presidential seal and, in large letters, is labeled "United States of America."

But the Obama jet does proudly proclaim: "Change We Can Believe In." Our friend Mike Dorning has more on the redesigned plane at The Swamp blog.

-- Don Frederick

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images

Comments

[dave]

'distracted even by a single blade of grass, a lamb is easily defeated, and can be caught off guard when dreaming.'

obama the 'mothman', the 'spittlebug': coming into the limelight to complete a shift of paradigm. the mission: to destroy and erase from within, the bridge that still affords america, as a whole nation, to return to freedom - by way of the CONSTITUTION. the strategy and goal: to completely alienate the people from the intentions and provisions, of the nation's founding fathers, to turn the country into yet another 'fatherless' corporate fascist state; incorporated into the supreme rule and law of the 'mother' of all deception, masked as liberation and empowerment, brotherhood of man, and everlasting peace - the global new world order; to rule by tyranny, and brute force of power: and to suck the lifeblood of the human race. (mccain and obama share a suicidal literary hero, who also shares this perverse passion to blow up bridges, another lonely stranger in a nation but a spook now, and that to him means nothing.)
not able to free himself of the stigma of his traumatizing past, mccain's cynical complicit contribution to the scheme: to consolidate fascist neocon-neodem unity, while continuing his efforts to dilute and dissolve the nation, to undermine and make inapplicable the constitution, and by extension to deal the fratricidal blow to the brotherhood. to pass on the lethal stigma, and reduce all free humans to walking dead.

'democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.
freedom is a well-armed lamb.'
- benjamin franklin

[FRIEDA]

WHERE IS THE AMERICAN FLAG ON HIS PLANE???

OR IS OBAMA GOING TO REDESIGN AMERICAN FLAG TO SUIT HIM??

[June]

No american flag on Barack Obama's plane ? does not surprise me. Obama has stated he does not need an american flag to show patriotism. He won't accept the tradition of our presidents embracing our flag in all forms of government affairs. Obama's friend of many years, Ayers, was shown stomping the american flag. So, if Obama has no respect for our flag, as his friend Ayers showed,and Obama becomes president, he may then try to change the way our chief & commander view the place of the flag in american politics, armed forces and etc. I fear Obama and don't trust him. There are too many shady characters linked to him. I don't know where he stands on anything, and, he cries racism when anyone reports true negatives about him and Michelle.