One of the constant subjects that comes up is President Obama's constant vacations. Seems like he's always taking time off to play golf, or taking his family with him on expensive visits on his little trips around the world.
Since he's a Democrat, Republicans chastise him for this severely. The country is bankrupt, they say, he's telling everyone else to tighten their belts, tells everyone else to get rid of their SUVS, and yet he himself and his family are going around enjoying the good life.
Democrats will respond - well, look what Bush did. Bush set the record for going on vacations.
Republicans will respond - he spent all his vacation time in his ranch in Texas. And he had a Communication room there so he was always available.
Democrats will respond, Obama is also always available. They have the technology.
It's a never ending debate there. What's the real issue? Well, whatever Bush was doing, the country wasn't in quite as bad a state then as it is now. There wasn't Civil War erupting throughout the Middle East, there wasn't a major nuclear problem in Japan, and the country wasn't this close to going belly up. In addition, Bush wasn't telling people to tighten their belts or to stop driving or having vacations. Obama is.
"That was then. This is now."
It doesn't matter how many vacations Bush took, or that the Democrats ripped him at the time for doing so. What matters is now, 2011. In the state that the country is in now, is Obama showing tremendous insensitivity?
Los Angeles Times: Williamsburg area attractions ready for the Obamas
WILLIAMSBURG— — With tourist destinations like Busch Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown Settlement in Williamsburg's backyard, President Obama and the First Family will have a lot to choose from if their trip to the Colonial Capital goes on as scheduled this weekend.
White House officials confirmed Wednesday that the Obamas had planned sometime ago to take a family vacation to the area this weekend, but added the trip hinged on whether Congress comes to a consensus on the budget before the midnight Friday deadline.
But whatever happens, officials at local tourists attractions say they're ready to accommodate the President and his family if they do visit the area.
"Colonial Williamsburg has hosted a number of high profile guests and foreign dignitaries throughout its history, and we've gotten pretty good at it," said Tom Shrout, spokesman for Colonial Williamsburg, whose most recent notable guests have been Queen Elizabeth II in 2007 and Actress Betty White last year.
Shrout said he didn't know if the Obamas would be visiting CW, but said the living history museum normally works with people from the offices or home countries of prominent guests to plan their visits.
"We try to make sure they see what they're interested in," Shrout said.
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation — which operates Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center — has also hosted several famous guests over the years. These guests have included the Queen, former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Dick Cheney.
Foundation Spokeswoman Debby Padgett said they have provided private tours for high profile guests in the past, but what they'd do for the Obamas, if they visit, would depend on how much advance notice the museums are given.
Busch Gardens officials said they also have procedures in place to handle high profile visitors, but did not provide specifics.
"We never discuss the particulars of those procedures to ensure the integrity of the process," said Kevin Crossett, spokesman for Busch Gardens, in a written statement.
The Obamas planned a trip to Williamsburg during Spring Break, one of the destination's busiest times of the year. The area is typically flooded with families hoping to shop and visit many of the area's attractions during their children's weeklong break from school.
Local law enforcement would not comment on how the potential presidential visit might affect traffic in the Historic Triangle. However, in the past streets have briefly been closed to accommodate presidential motorcades during visits to the area.
Shrout said CW tries to accommodate prominent guests, but also works hard to not to interrupt the trips of other visitors.
"When Queen Elizabeth visited, Buckingham Palace made it clear that they didn't want guests to be imposed upon because of the Queen's visit," he said. "We worked hard to make sure all our guests had a great experience during that time. When the president and his family visit, we'll do likewise, if it happens."
Padgett said the Jamestown and Yorktown museums haven't been closed to public during most of the visits of prominent guests.
President Obama has made several trips to Hampton Roads since 2008, but if he makes it this weekend, it would be his first leisurely visit to the area.
He made several stops in the region during his presidential campaign, and mostly recently was the keynote speaker at Hampton University's graduation last year. He made a brief trip to Williamsburg in 2009 to speak at the House Democratic Caucus' issues conference at Kingsmill.
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In the interests of Order and Method: My Schedule of Regular Posts:
*Monday through Friday morning - schedules of President, VP and Secretary of State and her diplomats
*Monday through Friday afternoon - List of topics Limbaugh discussed on his program that day
*Monday through Friday througout the day - My posts on anything that I feel like talking about. At least one or two a day, sometimes more.
*Saturday through Sunday morning - An addition to my booklist of political books - covering Democrats, Republicans and other interested parties.
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