Obamas, Bushes, Clinton Share Ride to Africa Rarely do so many former inhabitants of the White House occupy the same (confined) space as they did this week to travel some 13 hours to South Africa to celebrate the life of the late Nelson Mandela. President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama were joined by former President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush, as well as former first lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the ride. The photos, taken by White House photographer Pete Souza, are a rare glimpse of these VIPs joking around, showing off, and sharing a meal aboard the Boeing 747, also known as Air Force One.