President Obama has expanded the very small group of top aides who are given the privilege of taxpayer-funded personal drivers — who take them from their house to work and back home again each day — to include two top political advisers.

The Bush White House did not give the same privileges to any of its political advisers, according to former Bush administration officials. There is a record of the Clinton White House doing so once for two months, according to documents obtained by The Daily Caller.

Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod, both senior advisers to the president, have been given the luxurious and prestigious perk of being picked up at their homes and driven to work or around town throughout the day in government vehicles chauffeured by military drivers, according to a list of those given the benefit provided to The Daily Caller by the White House.

In addition, Jarrett has been made a “protectee” of the Secret Service, a spokesman for the agency said. It is not clear to what extent Jarrett receives protection. Neither the White House or Secret Service would comment on the matter.

“We don’t discuss the scope or nature of protection for any Secret Service protectee due to operational security concerns,” said Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan.

But except for a few weeks after 9/11, political advisers to Bush such as Karl Rove did not have Secret Service details with them except for the rare occasion where they gave a speech where protesters were expected.

Axelrod was given protectee status in the late summer of 2009, according to a blog written by a former Washington Post national security reporter. It is unclear whether he retains that status. Donovan declined to comment on Axelrod’s status.

Regardless, one knowledgeable source indicated that Jarrett has regular or semi-regular detail protection, which has left some questioning whether the close friend of the president’s, whose portfolio involves mostly outreach to the business sector and domestic policy, really needs the high level of security.

The White House and Secret Service would not comment on whether there have been threats or security concerns to merit the protection, though that is usually the reason agents are assigned to protect a government official. The Secret Service did say that the Obama administration has fewer protectees than the Bush administration did.

One eyewitness, on the morning of April 15, saw Jarrett being ferried to work on Pennsylvania Avenue in a black Dodge Charger SRT8 with official police lights mounted on the grill. There was a man in a suit and tie driving and another man in suit and tie in the passenger seat. Jarrett was in the back seat and appeared to be asleep.

The White House said it was not aware of Jarrett being driven to work in such a vehicle, since it is not a model usually used by the Secret Service or in the White House motor pool.

As for the car privileges, the term of art for being picked up and dropped off at home is “portal to portal.” The president is allowed to designate a small number of aides who can receive the service outside of those who get it automatically.

“We drew the line at who needed secure communications pretty much constantly,” said Joe Hagin, who was deputy White House chief of staff for operations. “Counsel didn’t have it. Karen Hughes, Dan Bartlett, they never had it. Karl [Rove] never had it. Barry Jackson never had it.”

Those who get it automatically include the president and vice president, cabinet members and their deputies, the national security adviser and the White House chief of staff.

There are some distinctions. The president, the vice president, the treasury secretary, the secretary of homeland security, the national security adviser and the chief of staff all get Secret Service protection, so their cars are driven by service agents.

The secretary of defense and secretary of state have their own security apparatus, who ferry them around town. The rest of the cabinet and their deputies get “portal to portal” cars driven by military aides from the White House motor pool.

In addition to all these, President George W. Bush designated the deputy national security adviser and his homeland security adviser to receive “portal to portal” privileges as well, Joe Hagin, who was Bush’s deputy chief of staff for operations, said.

On Aug. 16, 2007, Bush added Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute, his “war czar” for Iraq and Afghanistan, to the list of those on the “portal to portal” list, according to a copy of a letter sent by Alan Swendiman, special assistant to Bush in the office of administration, to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Clinton, in 1994, gave the “portal to portal” privilege to the assistant to the president for public liaison, Alexis Herman, from February to April, according to a copy of a June 16, 1994 letter to the House Oversight Committee.

Jarrett, in addition to her position as a senior adviser to Obama, carries the title of assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement.

A larger group of the president’s top aides – anywhere from 40 to 50 who fit the title “commissioned officers” – have access to drivers and cars from the White House motor pool throughout the day. But they must drive themselves to and from the White House when they come to work and go home.

Hagin said that during the Bush administration “there were people lobbying for portal to portal,” most of them from agencies outside the White House, such as the State Department.

“It’s a big status symbol and it is nice.”

After the 9/11 attacks, Hagin said, an expanded number of aides were given “portal to portal” privileges for security reasons, but that lasted only a few weeks.

And a number of publicly visible aides to Bush were given some Secret Service protection. But Hagin said that amounted only to ensuring that homes were secure and occasional visits by a uniformed patrol car to show a physical presence.



Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/05/11/top-obama-advisers-jarrett-and-axelrod-given-car-privileges-traditionally-reserved-for-national-security-officials/print#ixzz0yZoeIQ5l

Company Celebrates 17th Consecutive Year of Support for Diabetes Research

ROANOKE, Va., Aug 24, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Advance Auto Parts, Inc., (NYSE: AAP),a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, batteries, accessories, and maintenance items, and the number one corporate partner of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), is proud to announce the launch of its 2010 "sneaker" sales campaign to benefit children with diabetes.This year marks Advance's 17th consecutive year of support for JDRF in the search to find a cure for type 1 (juvenile) diabetes. In the past 16 years, Advance has raised more than $20 million for JDRF, including a record-breaking campaign that raised $3.8 million for diabetes research in 2009.Advance and its Team Members are tireless in their efforts to give back to the communities in which they live and work. The Company has already raised $1.6 million this year towards the 2010 Company goal of $4 million for JDRF.


"Giving to charitable organizations like JDRF is part of our history, part of our culture and a reflection of our values. I'm looking forward to working with our Team Members around the country to make our 2010 campaign a big success as we accelerate the cure for diabetes," said Darren Jackson, Chief Executive Officer. "I am extremely proud of our team's hard work and commitment to serving our communities better than anyone else."

The Company's "sneaker" sales program, which will be held at more than 3,500 stores in 39 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, begins this Thursday, August 26 and runs through October 2, 2010.Customers can purchase paper "sneakers" for $1, $5, $25 or $50, which are then displayed in the store windows to show support for this worthwhile cause. Proceeds from every sneaker sold go directly to JDRF and help bring that organization one step closer to finding a cure.

"The Advance Auto Parts team is proud to be a national partner of JDRF in its race to cure diabetes," said Jackson. "Supporting JDRF is an important part of our company culture and selling 'sneakers' is an opportunity for our Team Members to give back to the communities they live in. In addition, we appreciate the tremendous participation from both our do-it-yourself and commercial customers. Their contributions have helped Advance donate more than $20 million in the past 16 years to diabetes research."

"JDRF is delighted with the generosity, initiative, and passion Advance Auto Parts has shown in helping to fight type 1 diabetes and its complications," said Jeffrey Brewer, President and Chief Executive Officer of JDRF."We are proud to be partnering with dedicated and leading businesses like Advance Auto Parts who have helped us accelerate the pace of research."

In addition to the retail store "sneaker" campaign, Advance is raising additional donations from fundraising events at the Company's distribution centers and store support center.Planned events include silent auctions and participation in several local JDRF community walks and golf tournaments.

ABOUT JDRF

JDRF is a leader in setting the agenda for diabetes research worldwide, and is the largest charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research.The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research.Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation.

Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.4 billion to diabetes research, including more than $100 million last year.

ABOUT ADVANCE AUTO PARTS, INC.

Headquartered in Roanoke, Va., Advance Auto Parts, a leading automotive aftermarket retailer of parts, accessories, batteries, and maintenance items in the United States, serves both the do-it-yourself and professional installer marketsAs of July 17, 2010, the Company operated 3,497 stores in 39 states, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Advance Auto Parts supports a variety of non-profit organizations at the corporate and local levels and encourages its Team Members to become actively involved in various community-based charitable organizations. Nationally, Advance Auto Parts is a strong supporter of United Way and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). Since 1994, Advance Auto Parts has raised more than $20 million for JDRF, including a record-breaking campaign in 2009 which raised $3.8 million for diabetes research, making Advance Auto Parts JDRF's number one corporate partner.

Additional information about the Company, employment opportunities, customer services, and on-line shopping for parts and accessories can be found on the Company's web site at www.AdvanceAutoParts.com.

Toyota to Offer First Device to Make Hybrids Louder
After years of safety complaints from groups like the visually impaired and the elders, Toyota has settled on a method for making their quiet gasoline-electric hybrids louder at low speeds.
Toyota is offering an optional speaker costing about $150 which mimics the sound of an idling gasoline engine, but which can not be heard in louder environments, such as on a highway. The speaker will be offered in a variety of electric powertrains.
Currently, the speaker will remain an option for drivers, and only in Japan, but Toyota and other hybrid manufacturers are studying similar potential devices to alert the visually impaired to the presence of quiet battery powered vehicles.

Nissan Adds "Blade Runner" Sound to Electric Cars
Japanese-French carmaker Nissan has decided to make their line of electric cars sound like the cars in the futuristic thriller "Blade Runner", directed by Ridley Scott and based on the novel by Philip K. Dick.
Nissan said: “We decided that if we’re going to do this, if we have to make sound, then we’re going to make it beautiful and futuristic. We wanted something a bit different, something closer to the world of art.”
The lack of noise has been one of the biggest criticisms of electric car technology, as the cars are almost impossible to hear as they approach.