I would have voted for a converted C-5A, but, in any case, the decision has been made. In spite of Airbus anti-Boeing claims and a general lack of interest in the 747-8i, I suspect KE, China Air, and LH will do just fine with that airframe. IMHO, the U.S. President should fly in a "special" aircraft as the head of the most powerful nation in the world. He/she should not fly commercial for so many reasons discussed above. Even the President of Croatia has his own dedicated aircraft (when I was there in the 1990s, you couldn't even drive near the hanger at ZAG, Pleso Airport - and there were land mines all around).