Quick! To the (incredibly expensive) Obamacopter!

U.S. President Barack Obama apparently isn’t too pleased with his new pimped-out ride.

The Lockheed Martin VH-71 Kestrel

The Lockheed Martin VH-71 (VH1 must have been taken already) cost the American taxpayer more than $1.5B and is essentially a hovering Oval Office much like Air Force One — in both capability and cost.
As Obama prepares to spend his way out of the worst recession since the Great Depression, the commander-in-chief acknowledges the last bird would probably have been just fine:
The helicopter I have now seems perfectly adequate to me.  (Laughter.)  Of course, I’ve never had a helicopter before — (laughter) — maybe I’ve been deprived and I didn’t know it.  (Laughter.) But I think it is a — it is a — an example of the procurement process gone amuck.  And we’re going to have to fix it. – Barack Obama, Fiscal Responsibility Summit, Feb 23/09
The VH-71 was chosen to replace the Sikorsky series, a chopper used these days by the U.S. Marines only for troop transport and humanitarian work. The 28 VH71s ordered by the U.S. military will cost the taxpayer more than $11B, a decision made during the Bush Administration.
Obama may also be interested in pulling the plug because, despite the Made in America perception that comes with the Lockheed Martin name, the birds will actually be built by the British and Italians. According to Wikipedia (so you know it must be true), the main components will be made in Yeovil, UK, while the internal components will be likely made at a Cascina Costa facility in Italy. It’s a third of the overall helicopter. Lockheed Martin itself will only make 31% while Bell Helicopter and others will pick up the rest of the workload.
Source: White House Press Office
Source: The Register UK
Source: Gizmodo.com
Source: Wikipedia.org