Grapevine: Pricey travels for Sec. Panetta
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And now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...
Ruff Patch
We have already reached the dog days of the campaign.
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Much has been made of Mitt Romney's Irish setter Seamus riding in a kennel strapped atop the car on a family road trip.
Well now President Obama is dealing with his own pooch problems.
The Daily Caller noted President Obama wrote in one of his best-selling books about being fed dog meat as a child in Indonesia.
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Obama campaign adviser David Axelrod dinged Romney months ago, tweeting a picture of President Obama and Bo the dog riding in a car, saying - quote -- "how loving owners transport their dogs."
In response to President Obama's dog kerfuffle a Romney strategist hit back re-tweeting Axelrod adding -- quote -- "In hindsight, a chilling photo."
The Twitterverse exploded last night with the story, with hashtags like #ObamaDogRecipes that included "beagles with cream cheese" and "chicken poodle soup."
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Fly Away Home
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he wants to find ways to save taxpayer money since his frequent trips home cost you about $32,000 apiece.
The Associated Press reports Panetta has taken 27 roundtrip flights to California on the military equivalent of a Gulfstream jet since becoming secretary last July.
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He is required to travel on military aircraft with specific communications aboard.
A former adviser tells Fox, Panetta's predecessor, Robert Gates, traveled home roughly three times a year to his home in Washington state.
Smoke 'em out
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Finally, the University of Colorado in Boulder has high hopes it can avert thousands coming to campus Friday to participate in an annual pot smoking event dubbed 4/20. The school has been swamped with pot smokers in years past for this event.
Officials will close the school to outsiders. Trespassers could face a hefty ticket or jail time.
Local reports say the school will also spread fish fertilizer across the quad making it virtually un-inhabitable.