Posted on 07/31/2009 7:29:54 AM PDT by edpc
Four of the most powerful business leaders in America arrived at the White House one day last month for lunch with President Barack Obama, sitting down in his private dining room just steps from the Oval Office.
But even for powerful CEOs, there’s no such thing as a free lunch: White House staffers collected credit card numbers for each executive and carefully billed them for the cost of the meal with the president.
The White House defended the unusual move as a way to avoid conflicts of interest. But the Bush administration didn’t charge presidential guests for meals, one former official said, and at least one etiquette expert found the whole thing unseemly – suggesting it was a serious breach of protocol.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Does D.C. have a business tax?
Oh Heavens no, we certainly couldn’t tolerate a conflict of interest from the BO White House.
A laff-a-minute out of these clowns.
The whole imagery of this thing = ROFL. The inmates clearly are running the asylum.
“The White House defended the unusual move as a way to avoid conflicts of interest”
Normally the conflict of interest is when a CEO buys a politician lunch, not the other way around.
I think was another example of the Kenyan Imposter showing contempt for business leaders.
Oh, wait. That money went into HIS pocket, to the tune of several hundred thousand dollars.
I would have walked out, considering the whole debacle a vulgar breech of decency.
I wonder if GATES had to PAY for HIS BEER?
Yep, no class at all. The real question though is whether or not the money goes into the Whitehouse operating fund and reduces taxpayer costs or does it go into some political or personal slush fund of Obama’s?
Wow. How low class and common can you get? Do they take Michelle’s mama’s credit card number at every meal too?
Michael Dukakis, during his first term as governor(which was a nightmare, btw), ate at least one lunch in front of the legislative leadership...the leaders got nothing.
What did Mr. Dukakis eat? A lunch from McDonald’s.
Seems somehow connected to Mr. Obama’s churlish and rude behavior regarding that recent luncheon with the CEOs at the WH.
Well, as Groucho used to say, “well, you’ve got a lot of style, and some day we’ll find it.”
I wonder if Dear Leader has all of the licenses and permits required to operate a restaurant in the District of Columbia? I wonder if they’re going to file a tax return for their new venture?
Don’t laugh, it’s how we got Al Capone.
The question I would like to ask of the WH: Did you mark-up the cost of the food and its preparation to cover overhead and, perhaps, earn a profit?
If not, why not?
When you are getting the wool pulled over your eyes, you should expect to get fleeced.
Keep the receipt and write it off.
Gosh, I would have thought Dukakis would be a guy like Souter, the two of them could share an apple for lunch, including the core.
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