No matter what you did this past weekend, it’s unlikely you’re feeling as refreshed as the Obamas do right now.
Unless, of course, you spent the weekend on a beautiful beach, eating water-front lobster dinners, boating, enjoying ice cream, bike-riding and hiking.
The first family decided it was time for a weekend getaway, and what better time than in the midst of the most critical phase of the horrific oil spill in the Gulf. Nevermind the fact that we are also fighting two wars and unemployment is at a scary 9.5 percent.
By the way, this trip was a precursor to their trip next month to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. It baffles us as to why a pre-vacation is needed to ease into another vacation. Isn’t that something that would happen on one of those Real Housewives reality shows?
The Obamas’ pre-party vacation involved a weekend in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Mount Desert Island, home of Acadia National Park. The trip marks the president’s third weekend vacation since the oil disaster began in April, and his seventh vacation during his 18 month presidency.
There’s no denying that Americans want a president who has the chance to clear his mind once in a while, but this is a little excessive . Not to mention a bit hypocritical.
Only weeks prior to the weekend extravaganza, he was urging Americans to vacation in the Gulf in order to help with the economy there.
We guess oil-soaked beaches are just not good enough for you, Mr. President. Americans might even take up his vacation suggestion if they could actually afford it.
Presidents vacationing has always been an issue in the media. There are even people who specialize in presidential image. Perhaps Obama’s public relations agent was on vacation too.
Ronald Reagan spent time at Rancho del Cielo . Bill Clinton and his family traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyo., in the summer of 1996 (we wonder if Jackson Hole is as boring as it sounds or if Bill just had a thing for Midwestern gals).
According to CBS correspondent Mark Knoller, who keeps track of presidents’ comings and goings, Bush spent all or part of 977 days at Camp David or in Texas during his two terms. It should be noted, however, that for most of those trips, Bush’s staff would travel with him and work would continue as usual.
Bush was also as drawn to golf as Obama is, but he stopped playing after the 2003 bombing at the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad, claiming that it sends the wrong signal to play golf during war. Despite being a wartime president, Obama continues to play. For us, it’s not so much that he plays golf during wartime, but more so that he plays the “rich man’s” sport so often during America’s economic hardship.
What is most disheartening about this weekend getaway is the thousands of jobless Americans who can’t even afford to think about a vacation in Bar Harbor. The Gulf of Mexico residents who relied on their beach for their livelihood have to sit at home, jobless, as they read about the Obamas biking, hiking and boating on another beach.
Obama has gotten a lot of heat for being an attention-seeker, and the man is certainly good at campaigning. All the beautiful pictures of the Obama family on this beautiful vacation are a juxtaposition to what is really going on in this country right now.
We don’t doubt that the president is a hard-worker, but it’s all about timing. You wouldn’t take a vacation during the busiest time at your job, and the same should apply to the president.