Everett, WA - President Obama is on a record pace for campaign donations this year.  He spent the better part of the last week hob-knobbing with the Hollywood and Silicon Valley elite and was serenaded by Grammy winners.  When the love fest ended, his warchest had grown by more than $8-million.

But what has been a part of presidential campaign since they have began is again bringing Barack Obama under scrutiny's eye.  When the "leader of the free world" moves so does an army of people.  During his run to raise more than $29 million in January, his entourage of presidential priviledge ran with him inclduing armored limousines, helicopters, Air Force One.

As presidents and their campaigns are required to do under federal election rules, the Democrats will reimburse the government for part of the cost of Obama's travel. They've handed over more than $1.5 million so far this election cycle.

But although that's a considerable sum, it's nowhere near the actual cost of transporting the leader of the U.S. and all the people and equipment that have to move along with him.

A traveling White House entails a huge team of advance workers, vehicles, military and civilian personnel, as well as a vast security network. The presidential plane, a modified Boeing 747, costs at least $57,000 per hour to operate, the amount the Air Force publicly estimated in 1998.

Under federal rules that have been in force for decades, the president's campaign reimburses the government at a much lower rate — the equivalent of the commercial airfare for himself and any staff who are traveling for fundraising or other nonofficial work, as well as their costs for food and lodging.

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