And ... Who pays for Air Force One?

According to White House spokesman Allen Abney, taxpayer dollars are NOT used for Air Force One to fly the president to campaign events.

So today’s jaunt to South Bend, Ind., for a campaign event for Rep. Chris Chocola, and to Cincinnati for tonight’s Sen. Mike DeWine fundraiser, will be paid for by the two campaigns, Abney said.

Abney did not provide an estimate of the cost, but said it would cover the cost of fuel needed for the flight and the salary of the pilots who fly Air Force One. It would not cover the salaries of the White House staff who accompanied the president on the trip, he said.

Abney noted that if the president were to hold an official event at the same time that he does a campaign event -- as he did frequently during his re-election campaign -- a formula would be used to calculate what the White House pays for and what the Bush campaign pays for.

That was the case back in June 2004 when Bush flew into Cincinnati to hold an official event at the Talbert House, followed by a campaign fundraiser at the Indian Hill home of Bill DeWitt.