posted on Mar, 15 2013 @ 02:27 AM
www.politico.com...
With Vice President Joe Biden attending the pope's investiture in Rome Tuesday and President Obama leaving for the Middle East the same day, there is
potential for a very rare occurrence: That both may be out of the country at the same time.
White House Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said that generally the administration tries to coordinate trips so that doesn't happen, but
he's not sure about next week.
"I actually don’t know for certain if they’ll be abroad at the same time," Rhodes said Thursday.
(PHOTOS: Obama’s 24 international trips)
The ceremony in Rome is scheduled to take place in the morning and Obama isn't scheduled to leave the United States until the evening so it is
technically possible Biden could be back in time. But it's unclear if he is leaving Rome so quickly. His official schedule has not been released.
Any time the president or vice president travel outside Washington, they face increased risk, security-wise. And having them both traveling at the
same time presents a risk that most administrations don't take -- that something tragic could happen to both of them, leaving the presidency in the
hands of the third in the presidential line of succession. In this case, House Speaker John Boehner.