Michelle Obama Africa Visit: First Lady Takes Family On Safari

MADIKWE GAME RESERVE, South Africa (AP) -- It was an African safari Saturday for Michelle Obama and her family. (Scroll down for photos)

The first lady, joined by daughters Malia, 12, and Sasha, 10, along with her mother, Marian Robinson, and a niece and nephew, climbed into an open-air Toyota Land Cruiser in search of lions, giraffes, elephants and other animals on the sprawling Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa.

"Let's go see some stuff," Mrs. Obama said before she and her family returned to the vehicle after listening to a park guide's explanation about the mountains off in the distance. "Let's go."

They had seen at least one elephant by early afternoon.

The group, including Mrs. Obama's niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson, age 15 and 19, were spending the night at a lodge on the reserve.

Mrs. Obama has been in Africa all week, promoting youth leadership, education, and health and wellness in South Africa and Botswana. She returns home to Washington on Monday.

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Comments

[bobbieb]

03:25 PM on 07/17/2011

Re Laura Bush's 5 visits to Africa, according to Wikipedia Laura Bush "was involved in topics of both national and global concern during her tenure. She continued to advance her trademark interests of education and … encouraged education on a worldwide scale ... She represented the United States during her foreign trips, which tended to focus on HIV/AIDS and malaria awareness."
After all her husband George Bush "was rightfully celebrated for his commitment to fighting the global AIDS epidemic." (CNN) Bush sent some $19 billion to Africa and other hard-hit parts of the world. In other words she had a real global purpose to her trip.

[amber15]

06:01 AM on 07/10/2011

gotta LOVE THE OBAMAS!!
Who else can generate so much love worldwide while simultaneously rocking the bejeebees outta a po'ole republican!

[robertsandimas]

10:31 AM on 07/06/2011

Hey, folks. How about doing some fact checking and some reading about former First Families before you post your ignorant and fact challenged statements. Your hate runneth over.

[amber15]

05:56 AM on 07/10/2011

How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people?
Now that you know who you are
What do you want to be?
And have you travelled very far?
Far as the eye can see.
How does it feel to be
One of the beautiful people?
How often have you been there?
Often enough to know.
What did you see, when you were there?
Nothing that doesn't show.
Baby you're a tax man,
Baby you're a tax man too.
You keep all your money in a big brown bag inside a zoo.

we're all so jealous of you! how do you do it? keep all that money in a big brown bag??

[vector26436]

02:53 PM on 06/28/2011

Michelle's mother moved into the White House shortly after they won the election. So not only are we taxpayers paying for the Obama family, they are also paying for the Royal Treatment of her mother living there too. Michelle, her mother, two daughters and several cousins, are all vacationing in Africa this whole week on the Taxpayer's back...Michelle is calling it a "Business Trip" so she can charge all the humongous expenses to the U.S. Taxpayers. Just like their European trip recently to the G-20 summit, where Obama took along 500 of his lapdogs, 6 doctors, his whole kitchen staff, with food and drink, 3 speech writers and 12 teleprompters, and accompanied by 200 Secret Service Agents, their vehicles and equipment. This required several jumbo jets, helicoptors and Limos to round out the entourage. This was only written up by a British Newspaper, saying it had the appearance of a conquoring King and his court returning in victory...These freeloaders have no shame...

[traceymarie]

08:00 PM on 06/28/2011

the friends and family pay their own expences...but don't let facts get in the way of your rant

[Dosadi]

08:12 PM on 06/28/2011

As if no other President has done this.


Sour grapes makes your mouth look funny.

[TomDi]

06:59 PM on 07/03/2011

name a President and/or his family that have taken advantage of the taxpayers with frivolous trips such as this one. what a joke...

[lkamer56]

02:13 PM on 06/28/2011

.
ANOTHER million dollar vacation paid for BY YOUR TAX DOLLARS. OBAMAS DO YOU NOT REALIZE the average family can't EVEN afford a trip by car to the beach and you are spending MILLIONS EVERY YEAR on your vacations...OOOPS sorry the american public is paying millions for your vacation.

[Dosadi]

08:20 PM on 06/28/2011

We paid for the vacations of every President. It is like killing two birds with one stone. The President gets a vacation and our foreign policy gets a boost.  Not bad.

But since millions of Americans can't afford a trip to the beach how about we just continue to envy the millionaires who use tax cuts to do so?

[jbozz]

07:08 AM on 06/29/2011

By the way, on the note of Foreign policy, did you know while she was conducting "foreign policy" S Africans Pres, Dissed her!

[mijsenrab]

01:43 PM on 06/28/2011

Now we know why she is now proud of her country --- they are paying for her extravagance while a significant portion of our population is unemployed, have lost their homes and are about to be tortured by obamacare. Do us a favor and save some money and cancel your return trip.

[amber15]

05:29 AM on 07/10/2011

bo hoo hoo......wah, wah, wah!
cry like a baby!!!! do us a favor and cancel your citizenship. we're sending you back too!!

[LIbislife]

10:03 AM on 06/28/2011

OK, so everyone here just loves to throw out the fact that Laura Bush took the same trip. Can we just agree on a blanket statement that the taxpayers should not have to constantly pay for these useless personal trips for all first ladies from this point foward and leave it at that?

[naschkatze]

11:54 AM on 06/28/2011

Agreed!

[vector26436]

03:01 PM on 06/28/2011

Especially when Michelle takes her whole clan with her i.e. mother, cousins, etc..It's called FREE LOADING...

[grata2ude]

09:17 PM on 06/28/2011

The problem is...it is not on the taxpayers for any of the First Lady's trips. The only thing the that tax dollars cover is for the security. They pay their own way. This is true for Laura as well as Michelle and Betty Ford and Barbra Bush and Jackie K and Pat Nixon.

[jbozz]

07:03 AM on 06/29/2011

They flying commercial airlines as well?

[LIbislife]

09:39 AM on 06/29/2011

and what is the ticket price for that security? don'f forget the cost of the airplane, vehicles, manpower, etc.
What exactly does the first lady contribute? The lunch tab?

[Don Stalvino]

12:01 AM on 06/28/2011

"Mrs. Obama has no official State Department appointment nor was
she elected to office. I don't mean to pick on her and I know
other First Ladies have availed themselves of this perk, but
it's time to cut it out." A huffposter posted this earlier, but I agree.

[Aleks Hunter]

09:33 AM on 07/04/2011

How loud would you scream nepotism if she did have a State Dept. appointment?

[amber15]

05:35 AM on 07/10/2011

well I disagree! I love the fact that she can travel. the world LOVES her and the PR she is doing is PRICELESS!

[Youdontgetit]

04:07 PM on 06/27/2011

Good to see the Obamas cutting back like the rest of us. Good to know that hse only took 5 other people on the trip at tax payer expense.

[grata2ude]

09:55 PM on 06/27/2011

Were you as upset when Laura Bush and the twins made the same trip?

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Laura+Bush+in+Africa&qpvt=Laura+Bush+in+Africa&FORM=IGRE

[ILB]

02:01 AM on 06/28/2011

No, not at all.

Laura Bush's official White House page states that she traveled " to over 75 countries".

[jbozz]

07:13 AM on 06/29/2011

Wasn't everyone banking on "Hope and Change", Bush Bush Bush bush bush bush bush bush Bush bush Bush Bush
Why don't you try living present day!

[amber15]

05:38 AM on 07/10/2011

ya! she deserved more but because she knew all you intelligent americans would be spying on her she only took the friends & family. Next year it will be the whole state of TEXAS!! YEHAW!!!

[wayneusa]

12:54 PM on 06/27/2011

I'll assume that the Obama family is not so unscrupulous as to spend a single dollar of taxpayers' money to pay for this vacation. This includes their travel and security forces. Let Mrs. Obamama push humanitarian issues in South Africa this same way Angelina Jolie does, with her own resources and not vacation in a foreign country with taxpayers' money, many of whom can't afford to vacation in this country let alone a foreign one.

[Tara Wright]

02:40 PM on 06/27/2011

Just curious.....did you have this same standard of "no taxpayer money" for all of George W Bush's many outside expenditures and vacations, especially being that he was on vacation far more than ANY other president in our entire history? Or what about VP Cheney's 'vacation' where he shot his best friend in the face? Were you so concerned about your tax money while the presidential surgeons were stitching up Cheney's hunting buddy's face? Just curious..

[ILB]

10:20 PM on 06/27/2011

None of them care about Laura Bush's trips because, well, she was Laura Bush.

They have also conveniently forgotten how often she traveled to Africa, the Middle East, and Europe.

[GoodbyeRubyTuesday]

04:42 PM on 06/27/2011

Mrs. Obama would have taxpayer paid security wherever she went because she is First Lady of the United States.

[falconsso]

09:34 AM on 06/27/2011

" They had seen at least one elephant by early afternoon. "
A very bad sign come Nov 2012.

[Charlene Estes]

10:37 AM on 06/27/2011

Not really considering we had Michele Bachmann on Sunday AM TV talking presidential qualifications. Much more important sign for 2012.

[Johnny Bomers]

07:04 AM on 06/28/2011

Michelle versus Michele. Which one will be in the White House in 2013?

[vector26436]

03:04 PM on 06/28/2011

Agreed, F&F

[TomDi]

07:04 PM on 07/03/2011

correction - end of an era

[oscartucker]

09:31 AM on 06/27/2011

I love photo 8!

[falconsso]

09:30 AM on 06/27/2011

Still waiting for my (Bush) tax rebate check so I can go on safari.

[amber15]

05:41 AM on 07/10/2011

sorry to tell you Boehner gave it to Exxon......

[AtticusinPa]

08:53 AM on 06/27/2011

Wow. The hate and the snark. Unbelievable.

Two points:

First, Mrs. Bush took FIVE official trips to Africa during her husband's administration.

www.nydailynews.com/.../2011-06-21_michelle_obama_joins_a_number_of _first_ladies_going_abroad_on_taxpayers_dime.html


Second, there is no extended family on this trip. No nieces and nephews. Just her two daughters and her mother. Mrs. Bush, on one trip, took her daughters and Mrs. Cheri Blair.

But dont let the facts get in the way of a good smear!

[geohayes7]

09:47 AM on 06/27/2011

Well, maybe you should have read the article.....They had seen at least one elephant by early afternoon.

The group, including Mrs. Obama's niece and nephew, Leslie and Avery Robinson, age 15 and 19, were spending the night at a lodge on the reserve.

[Justdontgetit]

01:27 PM on 06/27/2011

Well, maybe you should try looking at some news. The Obama family is paying for their extended family.

Google can be your friend.

[mick1984]

01:01 PM on 06/27/2011

You should read the article again.