February 9, 2009 10:28 AM
Obama "a restless soul" - Press Secretary Gibbs
'Restless' Obama and family head to Camp David
It took Barack Obama two years to get to the White House, but barely more than two weeks for wanderlust to set in.
"He's a bit of a restless soul," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday when asked if Obama was feeling "cooped up in the White House."
Saturday, Obama and his family are due to head for Camp David for their first overnight stay at the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains.
Next week, Air Force 1 will be rolling out of the hangar to take him on four trips.
On Monday and Tuesday, he plans day trips to Elkhart, Ind., and Fort Myers, Fla., to pitch his economic recovery plan.
On Thursday, he returns to Springfield, Ill., where he served as a state legislator, to mark Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday.
Then late next Friday, he plans to fly to Chicago, his hometown, to spend the weekend and go out Saturday night with wife, Michelle, for a Valentine's Day dinner date.
I dunno. Robert Gibbs sees a restless soul. I see someone who desperately desires power and its trappings without being able to buckle down and do the hard work.
I am very concerned.
Posted in Obama Nation | Permalink
Comments
Anyone out there keeping tabs on the size of this guy's "carbon footprint"?
Do you think the envirocops are feeling used yet? After all, Obama sure got them campaigning for him didn't he? This is the guy they wanted in. Now I don't want to hear one more whiny word about global warming from any of them, "their guy" is the worst offender there is.
Posted by: Kelly | February 9, 2009 11:21 AM
A restless soul, huh? I agree, Barbara, he doesn't seem capable of buckling down at all.
We have some good nws to share, btw, over at my blog:)
Posted by: Shannon Miller | February 9, 2009 1:16 PM
Barbara, I am more concerned about what Obama does than what he is not doing. GWBush took more vacation days than most presidents-in three years he had already surpassed Clinton's vacations in all 8. I don't begrudge them their vacations, as I assume that they are really never truly "off". I hope Obama does take a rest and a breather, before continuing on his missions. There is a lot he needs to digest and rethink, in my opinion.
[note from Barbara: Cath, I've noticed you seem to enjoy playing devil's advocate here. But this defense of Obama deserves further consideration:
1) No president "on vacation" is truly on vacation.
2) The news source I see this vacation comparison appears to be Yahoo News - don't know how accurate that source is
3) It all depends on the meaning of vacation - to borrow a little semantic ploy from Clinton himself. That is, if Bill and hillary went to Hollywood to do a little fundraising, that wasn't recorded as a vacation. And so on.
4) I'm guessing that if something is recorded as a vacation, it will come out of the president's 400,000 salary, whereas if it is "government business" it is at taxpayer expense, and if party fundraising then "party expense." The Clintons' track record would lead me to guess that they would favor having someone else foot the bill rather than pay it themselves.
4) Clinton seemed to find extraordinary ways to entertain himself and loosen up in the Oval Office.
5) We are talking about Obama's first three weeks - three weeks!! - in office traipsing all over the place at taxpayer expense, leaving a huge carbon footprint, as noted by a commenter here.
In addition there is the unpleasantness of both Obamas expressing nothing but ingratitude for the White House. Maybe that is no big deal to you, but it is to me.]
Posted by: Cath Young | February 9, 2009 6:20 PM
I, too, was curious as to who pays for the Obamas to go to Chicago for Valentine's Day. I'm guessing it's the taxpayers (you, me, and most Americans except Daschle, Geithner, and Killefer). At least to pay for the security needed.
I guess he is working so hard promoting abortions and spending our children's future that he needs a little relaxation.
Posted by: sandra | February 9, 2009 9:34 PM
