My father-in-law asked a question the other nite: Since the president of the US is always driven, does he have a drivers license? And when purchases are made whether it is a personal gift to Chelsea or his next door neighbor or whatnot, who literally pays the bills? I certainly doubt that he has any credit cards as we know them.
Can you all fill me in? I didn’t know the answers.
Fearlessly we fought the frenzied foe
I think he has a credit card, but it is a gov’t credit card, ala business credit cards. I saw BC making Christmas purchases and he pulled out a credit card to complete the transaction.
BC had a driver’s licence at the beginning of his first term. He was the grand marshall of a parade and got to drive the Mustang lead car, which was like his Mustang he has in storage in Arkansas. He commented that he hadn’t driven a car since just before his presidency.
When danger reared its ugly head,
He bravely turned his tail and fled
Most likely, the president does have a license. You usually have one before you’re elected to office, and it’s only an issue of renewals, which can often be done by mail.
I’d also expect the local DMV might cut a little slack. 
“East is east and west is west and if you take cranberries and stew them like applesauce they taste much more like prunes than rhubarb does.” – Marx
Read “Sundials” in the new issue of Aboriginal Science Fiction. www.sff.net/people/rothman
You might recall George Bush’s astonishment at the scanners in a grocery store. My guess is that their time is much too valuable to waste on things like finalizing purchases. (Although my personal feeling is that if we could keep them busy doing stuff like that they wouldn’t have time to run the country, which seems to run better without them. I don’t care which party’s in the White House as long as the other party controls the congress.)
IIRC, Queen Elizabeth II, who always carries a small handbag, keeps a little cash in there for things like donating to whatever charity she’s visiting, etc. But actual purchases are handled by a lackey. I’ve also heard she’s pretty tight-fisted for a gazillionaire.
Hmmm. Seriously cynical this morning. Must be the weather (damp and gloomy).
“pluto … a seriously demented but oddly addictive presence here.” – TVeblen
I would think that someone else must sign for him (credit card) or else the slip or copy of same might be a collectors’ item…no matter who the president is.
A large pizza pie normally has 12 slices but I can’t possibly eat that many slices so I have them cut it up into 6 slices.
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Skel: Just totally out of curiousity, why would you assume that Clinton doesn’t have any credit cards?
I mean, the presidency is just his job…
Around the time that George Bush (Sr.) was astonished at grocery scanners, he was asked by some kid in a school he was visiting to prove that he was the President. According to the media reports, he pulled out his American Express card to identify himself to the kid. So, George Bush, at least, carried a credit card.
Erik: Anything with the president’s signature has value as a collector’s item. Therefore I would think that a member of his staff would pay for the item and the president would settle up later.
I could be wrong and thats why I’m awaiting some answers
A large pizza pie normally has 12 slices but I can’t possibly eat that many slices so I have them cut it up into 6 slices.
unknown
I read a biography about Jackie Kennedy once where this came up. Apparently she had paid by check for some items (at the beginning of JFK’s presidency), and there was difficulty in balancing her accounts because instead of cashing the checks people would hold on to them for the signatures. Jack was embarassed by this (fearing that his political enemies would make hay, no doubt!), and so they set it up that someone else would issue checks for payment on Jackie’s accounts.
-Melin
Not that I was any fan of the former president Bush, but his fascination with a supermarket scanner was not the one we see at our neighborhood supermarket.
It was an experimental type that was able to scan a whole shopping cart at once.
As for the President paying for stuff, they all get an expense account, so there must be some sort of method of keeping records.
Since S.S. agents must guard B.C. from harm for the rest of his life I doubt if he’ll ever sit behind the wheel of a car again. If his daughter does’nt ask for the Mustang it will probably windup in is forthcoming Presidential Library. As far as Hillary goes, she won’t ever need, or apply for a N.Y.State drivers license. Unless she divorces him ,and does’nt receive S.S. protection
Hairy11: Good point. Since Clinton and Hilary both have secret service protection for their natural lives whether they like it or not, wouldn’t they be chauffeured whenever they go by automobile? Therefore, why have a driver’s license? I don’t think either needs one for an ID.
A large pizza pie normally has 12 slices but I can’t possibly eat that many slices so I have them cut it up into 6 slices.
unknown