Now that the BP oil spill is gushing freely again it must be time for another Obama vacation. Starting Friday, Obama will be taking his third vacation since the disaster first happened. This time, the Obama family will be visiting Acadia National Park in Maine.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have a problem with the President taking a vacation. I just took one myself, but then again I’m not the President of the United States either. Sure the leader of the free world should be able to take some time with his family on vacation……a few times a year. But this is Obama’s third vacation in the 80+ days that the Horizon oil spill disaster has been in existence.
President Bush used to catch heat for going down to Crawford, TX when he should have been dealing with issues of the day. At least that’s what our liberal friends in the media used to say. But mainstream criticism of Obama’s vacations seems to be lacking. I think what’s missing here is a little perspective. Not to mention the President’s own words. Obama said this back in May:
“I’m not going to rest or be satisfied until the leak is stopped at the source, the oil in the Gulf is contained and cleaned up, and the people in the Gulf are able to go back to their lives and their livelihoods.”
The very least that he could do is do what he told all of us to do. Take a vacation in the Gulf. Instead the Obama’s will vacation in Maine. About as far away from the trouble in the Gulf as you can get. But hey, he’s more of a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of guy anyway.
Americans want to have a President that cares. Or at least one that “looks like” he cares about the problems affecting our lives. Another Obama vacation is just the latest example of how this guy just doesn’t seem to care. Either that or he just doesn’t get it. No worries though, I’m sure the gusher will still be gushing when he gets back. What’s a few more days anyway?
July 11th, 2010 at 10:04 am
Fck it, who cares ?
The more he hides his a$$ the better for all of us. Taxpayer bucks for these excursions is worth way more in returns than the stimulus
July 11th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
Actually its a sign of wisdom that he can disengage in the overly toxic beltway bubble invironment and take his family to a recreational park and get outdoors and get some exercise. Its good for the kids too. I am sure he has a cellphone! Jimmy Carters biggest mistake is locking himself in the rose garden over the Iranian Hostage crises as the news everynight ticked off the days, one by one. So Obama is being a good parent also, and not just totally engaged in grownup stuff. I think we all should probably take two weeks off every three months, so that would be 8 weeks a year as you only live once and things are rigged so they are going to take your money anyways. Might as well have some good memories of time well spent to go with it. I would love to see a president go on strike against washingtons way, much like in that movie “I am mad as hell and am not going to take it anymore” and teaxch seminars at the washington mall on their own guerilla network each time he gets annoyed, as the politics are just atrocious anymore.
July 11th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Brian?
Try feeding this sanctimonious sack of bullsh** to those fishermen in the Gulf…
Hope you enjoy day 83!!!
July 11th, 2010 at 3:05 pm
faye, he’s done pretty much all he can do there short of running the reimbursement stations even more robustly. We could have been better prepared under clinton, bush, and obama but it was an issue that was worked by big oil and micromanaged by them till it literally fell apart. This is why I said bushgeojr. didn’t really regulate our industries like they are supposed too. As far as the fishermen in the gulf, they should work a tax break and tax credit for them this year and next and the next, like three years. Much of this is in Congresses domain. Its a sign of being smart that he knows his limits and when to disengage. What, you want him, camping in the bayou too?
July 11th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
Brian.
WE all wish you’d take half as many vacations.
He needs to take his kids, his wifes 500.00 Nikes and a case of Dawn dish soap to some beach in the gulf and teach em some nature appreciation.
Set an example. God knows the lemmings will follow suit instead of crying for pinwheels and panels.
I gotta shaved gerbil you can take with you for company… on the house
July 11th, 2010 at 4:12 pm
your being petty. That is not the America we need to be.
July 11th, 2010 at 4:33 pm
I’m being petty ?
The spill is almost 3 months old, this schmuck is on his third hiatus, you’re defending his dereliction and you’re calling me petty ?
The America we need is one that has a leader thats not running around campaigning for loosers and thinks every buck for the next 30 years comes from petty cash.
Why shouldnt I be petty ? I gotta keep my spirits up somehow in the face of this crap since theres no amount of serious constructive critique that would ever sink in this idiots head
July 11th, 2010 at 4:41 pm
I dont’ see dereliction of duty. You might not agree to what he’s doing but he’s made a pretty fair effort that is way above derelction. I belive rahm was away the first few days the oil spill broke and I wonder if that affected things. They are a citified chicago cabal, not a bunch of oil men. I am sure each white house has its weak points and you don’t know till they are tested. I think if I were president after you elect me, I would have two fresh chiefs of staff so one was always in the saddle 24 7. Even at 911 bushgeojr was caught off gaurd or how to react so they flew him around for a day as their people got an idea of what was going on. It seemed pretty clear the white house lag factor was in play. I think it will always be in play. thus the first responder is always local and a city or county employee or volunteer. You really can’t blame obama for this fact. We are too programmed to think Norad will spring into action over every type of crises and mystically solve everything same day. Not happening.
July 11th, 2010 at 4:42 pm
Micky;
“He needs to take his kids, his wifes 500.00 Nikes and a case of Dawn dish soap to some beach in the gulf and teach em some nature appreciation.
Set an example.”
Brian;
“your being petty. That is not the America we need to be.”
No. Thats “exactly” the America we need to be.
If BP would foot the bill I’d be on the beach caring for every animal I could.
Is “The One” not the great community organizer ? HUH ?
He should start using the only real skill hes supposedly ever had and have millions on the beachs right now.
How has this mans great organizational skills helped in this catastrophy ?
Hes made it worse by any standard of measure from his BS photo ops to his false claims of setting up funds to his nose picking for 3 weeks before he did sht !
July 11th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
Brian, if you were president we’d be looking at another Jones Town.
Except the congregation wouldnt have to be coerced into drinking anything
July 11th, 2010 at 4:50 pm
you’ve got a maniaical description of expected white house management skills there. Its just not real. AS I recall BP, with its company to lose, said originally it will take to August to stop this spill with the relief wells. We aren’t even there yet and your acting like we hav gone into overtime. Even the whitehouse realized this early on and they would just have to ride it out. Welcome to the world of deep water drilling. I hope they file criminal charges on the men that made some very bad management decisions on the operation of that well. And Hayward should go as well since it was under his watch as ceo he wasn’t watching these deepwater wells and being invoved with them as well. That is like a gas station owner never even looking at his side pumps to see if they were working and safe and counting right. Here is another example of where the leaders at the top aren’t really involved in key operational issues locally. That is typical for the level of post industrial ecnomy we live in now days. You can bet Mr. Mullholland was involved in every aspect of bringing water to Los Angeles and not just leaving operational details to underlings. I am sure many a group engineer got asked very direct operational questions on each aspect of the job 24 7.
July 11th, 2010 at 5:18 pm
I agree with Micky – the more time he spends on vacation – the less he gets done – the better off we all are.
He is still a complete jack@ss for his obvious lack of engagement in ANYTHING that has happened on his watch – and flits from jobkilling idiotic plan to jobkilling idiotic plan quicker than a crackhead hummingbird.
July 11th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I don’t expect you guys to be fair, but I do expect you to be accurate. You can’t just rewrite reality to fit your ideological bent and be expected to be taken seriously. Ideology can fade and in the end the only thing you can have is a reputation for accuracy. Fidelity to reality. Only that is worth something. the ideology is just a phantasm. It never lasts a thousand years. Accuracy does.
July 11th, 2010 at 5:38 pm
*Hail Berry doesn’t care, he can’t win those states anyway so what does he care….think about it….
July 11th, 2010 at 5:55 pm
[...] Shannon Bell remembers, as I do, the flak-drek George Bush used to get for his “va-kay.” [...]
July 11th, 2010 at 6:12 pm
“you’ve got a maniaical description of expected white house management skills there. Its just not real.”
I’ve been watching different administrations operate the White House for decades bro. This one is about as maniacal as it gets.
For years now I’ve always touted Carter as our worst president ever…
not anymore.
“Management skills” ?
Pffft.
When my managment asks for 3 trillion dollars they’d better “manage” to come up with some results besides a bunch of platitudes and blame on past administrations.
July 11th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
“I don’t expect you guys to be fair, but I do expect you to be accurate. You can’t just rewrite reality to fit your ideological bent and be expected to be taken seriously. Ideology can fade and in the end the only thing you can have is a reputation for accuracy. Fidelity to reality. Only that is worth something. the ideology is just a phantasm. It never lasts a thousand years. Accuracy does.”
Everytime you spew this grandiose bullsht I’ll remind you that you are in fact a liar who just luvs to alter history to your “ideological bent”
You wouldnt know accuracy if it hit you right between the eyes
July 11th, 2010 at 7:07 pm
That’s true Eddie. He never bothered to even come down here when he was campaigning (I mean the campaigning he did before he was elected – actually, he hasn’t come down since). We are nothing to him.
July 11th, 2010 at 8:45 pm
Things is Bus was working on his vacations….I mean all he ever did was go to Crawford. Whereas Barry plays crappy round of gold after crappy round of golf. Surfs, hangs out…does nothing. It;s like his whole job, the Presidency is a vacation. Spring Break Obama style.
July 11th, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Republicans complaining about Presidential vacations is like Republicans complaining about fiscal irresponsibility… oh yeah. The eight years of running insane deficits does not count. Neither does the former CiC’s breaking the record for most vacation days during his watch.
Believe me, fellow citizens- the current P’s attention span and work ethic has the other’s beat by many brush-lengths. (And brush is mighty wide!)
July 11th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
I agree with Jenn of the Jungle. That’s all he’s done since he’s been in office – go on vacations, golf and campaign for whatever his agenda-of-the-day is.
Who is running the country. Nobody. That’s why there’s a power-vacuum that the predators of the world are trying to fill.
July 11th, 2010 at 10:58 pm
@C B S – you are in a fantasy world if you think what you wrote is true.
July 11th, 2010 at 11:11 pm
under bush when katrina hit i see the same lack of concious every president has ever had so why dont all of you stfu and look at the situation right instead of crying blame on someone.
July 11th, 2010 at 11:19 pm
I wonder how many of you complained when Bush Jr. took the MOST vacations of any other president. During a time of war. Oh wait, you can’t see the bad things your repugnant ex-president did, but you sure can see the bad in Obama. Idiots.
July 11th, 2010 at 11:23 pm
@Jayson – I see you buy into that propaganda. He didn’t take several vacations a month as Obama does. And he DID tend to the government’s business as Obama doesn’t.