HOV Traffic Waits for No Man, Even the President

[cal04]

Fear of I-395 Jams Halts Plan to Close Lanes for President
Wouldn't it be nice to have the highway all to yourself? All alone during rush hour, whizzing down Interstate 395 with not a single car or bus to get in your way? Alas, even the leader of the free world doesn't get that kind of treatment.

Not that he didn't ask.

On Tuesday, the Secret Service asked Virginia officials if they would be kind enough to shut down all of the HOV lanes on I-395 from 1 to 7 p.m. the next day so President Bush could get where he needed to be, according to state officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of discussing the president's travel.

(snip)
The original idea was to close the HOV lanes briefly for the trip to the fundraiser, reopen them and then close them for the trip home, according to officials with the Secret Service. When federal officials found out that, for logistical reasons, Virginia would have to keep them closed the entire time, it became clear it would be too disruptive.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/24/AR2006082401627.html

[MadMaddie]

1. If it was national business maybe...but if it is a fund raiser hell no

that's our money he is using for security and the flight...

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. They closed a highway here when he came in 2004

And people raised hell. That is just so over the top. Did Clinton ever do anything like that?

[Benhurst]

3. What an asshole. Didn't we just pay for fancy new helicopters

complete with cooking facilities to prepare food for the Great One? Jeez!

[Captain Hilts]

6. Allen campaign didn't want to pay to use them. nt

[williesgirl]

4. Would have hurt Allen if they had done it - big time! These clowns

just don't have a clue. Closing HOV lanes on 395 also would have impacted the Belway in both directions heavily. All to raise more dirty cash for Felix.

[smb]

5. No Amount Of Money Would Save Allen

...if this stupid plan had gone through -- he would have been roasted alive and begged to turn back the clock to when racial slurs were his biggest problem.