Oblahblah's going to vacation at Martha's Vineyard, and the New York Times doesn't so much as mention the Holy Kennedy Family? Isn't that unbelievable. Guess they don't want anyone remembering the Chappaquiddick "incident."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------ UPDATE. Oops, my stupid... This "reporter" is Jeff Zeleny, the same one who famously asked the president what "enchanted" him the most about being in the White House. Judging by his photo, Zeleny's probably not old enough to have ever even heard of Mary Jo Kopechne. So I'm probably wrong to say he's trying to hide the "incident." It's more likely that he just doesn't know about it.
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The New York Times' White House Memo:
WASHINGTON — He does not own a sprawling Texas ranch, a family compound on the coast of Maine or a retreat tucked away in the Santa Ynez Mountains of California.
So President Obama, in this regard at least, is much like Bill Clinton: He has no vacation home to call his own.
With the summer getaway season in full swing, the White House is busy arranging the president’s first vacation since taking office. The destination — officially, at least — is classified. Yet it is hardly a secret to the people on Martha’s Vineyard, several business owners and others said, where reservations have been made and preparations are under way for the Obama family’s August arrival.
Still, questions abound on the Massachusetts island.
Will they settle in Oak Bluffs, Chilmark or another town? Will they rent the home of the filmmaker Spike Lee? Will they be there at the same time as the Clintons?
“The rumor mill is rampant because people want to get information and want to flesh out their plans,” said Charles J. Ogletree, a law professor at Harvard, a summer Vineyard resident and a longtime friend of the Obamas.
“I hope that people will respect their privacy and need for rest. The best thing we can do is let him recharge his batteries and prepare for the tasks ahead.”
The White House is mum on the dates, duration and precise destination of the trip.
First, advisers said, the administration does not want to distract from the work of Congress, which will spend at least some of the summer grinding away on health care legislation and the Supreme Court confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotomayor.
Second, as the unemployment rate inches ever closer to 10 percent [or more "broadly," 16.5 %],
an oceanfront respite filled with tee times and dinner dates
could be seen as out-of-touch with the economic hardship facing many Americans.
And third, the president is really never off duty, so wherever he chooses to vacation — and for how long — sends at least some type of a message and is sure to draw scrutiny....
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