Obama Took Chevrolet Volt for "Joy Ride"

Just the Facts:

• President Obama told Jay Leno on Wednesday night that he recently took the Chevrolet Volt for a "big joy ride."
• Obama said he drove the Volt three times around the driveway of the South Lawn of the White House.
• Obama said the Volt belonged to an unnamed friend who had a Volt and urged the president to "take it out for a spin."

BURBANK, California ? President Obama told Jay Leno on Wednesday night that he recently took the Chevrolet Volt for a "big joy ride."

Obama said the Volt belonged to an unnamed friend who had a Volt and urged the president to "take it out for a spin."

"We didn't tell Secret Service," Obama said. "So I'm having fun. I went around once. I was really kind of getting into it. I did it again.... That was my big joy ride. Three times around the South Lawn driveway."

Obama said the Secret Service made sure the gates were shut so he couldn't take the Volt onto the street.

The president made the disclosure ? which he called "a secret" ? during a lengthy interview on NBC's Tonight Show that covered everything from the election to his pick for the 2012 World Series. The Volt story was prompted by a Facebook question for the president read by Leno. The questioner asked the president, "When was the last time you drove an automobile?"

Obama has been photographed in and around the Volt during his presidency, sometimes prompting criticism from Republicans. General Motors, the maker of the Volt, received a government bailout during the economic crisis.

The candidates and their cars have become something of an issue in the presidential election. Forbes.com on Wednesday asked, "Who's the bigger car guy: Obama, Romney or...LBJ?"

"For better or worse we think Romney has the edge in terms of automotive street cred," wrote Forbes. "For starters, it's in his blood. Before becoming governor of Michigan and later making a run for the presidency himself, Mitt's father George Romney ran American Motors from 1954 to 1962."

Obama brought up the Motor City during the Leno interview, saying: "I have spent a lot of time in Detroit lately. I didn't want to let Detroit go bankrupt."

Edmunds says: Did Obama's unusual road trip add or subtract from his automotive street cred?

Source: http://www.insideline.com/chevrolet/volt/obama-took-chevrolet-volt-for-joy-ride.html

hazing colton harris moore hurd hurd christopher hitchens ron paul 2012 zynga stock