Obama Cancels Safari Due to Security Cost

Extraordinary security provisions for President Obama trip to sub-Saharan Africa this month — “which will cost the government tens of millions of dollars” — are outlined in a confidential document obtained by the Washington Post.

“Any journey by the president, such as one scheduled next week for Northern Ireland and Germany, is an immense and costly logistical challenge. But the trip to Africa is complicated by a confluence of factors that could make it one of the most expensive of Obama’s tenure, according to people familiar with the planning.”

“The president and first lady had also planned to take a Tanzanian safari as part of the trip, which would have required the president’s special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles with high-caliber rounds that could neutralize cheetahs, lions or other animals if they became a threat… But the White House canceled the safari Wednesday after inquiries from The Post about the trip’s purpose and expense.”