Donkey One

Transporting the president of the United States involves a fleet of aircraft and a small army of obsequious staffers. So what’s it going to take to get the King of Kings to Jerusalem?

One of the most familiar pictures on American TV screens is that of the president of the United States walking across the South Lawn of the White House to board Marine One, his white-topped VH-3D helicopter, for the quick trip out to Andrews Air Force Base to rendezvous with Air Force One, “the flying White House.” It all looks so impressive, from the Marine guard’s salute to the famous light-blue plane taxiing down the runway.

It’s what we don’t see that’s even more impressive, however. Getting the president from place to place is a bit like planning the Normandy invasion: It involves hundreds of man-hours, millions of dollars and tons of hardware, making your last plane trip look like a cakewalk by comparison.

Let’s say the president is coming to your town for a speech. Even before the president takes off, Secret Service agents and local law enforcement at each destination have already been hard at work for days or, sometimes, weeks or...