President Obama Plans Gulf Coast Family Vacation In August

The Obama family recently took a family vacation to Mt. Desert Island, Maine, and received some predictable criticism about presidential vacation time. Well only the most cynical critics will find political fault with the news that the Obamas intend to visit the Gulf Coast en famille as show of support for the area most effected by the BP OIl Disaster.

Writing for the Wall Street Jounal, Jonathan Weisman reports:

The White House announced this afternoon the Obamas – Barack, Michelle, Sasha and Malia (and presumably First Dog Bo) – will take a quick, weekend beach vacation on the Gulf of Mexico Aug. 14-15.

In successive trips, the president and first lady had encouraged Americans to visit the beaches of the Gulf, saying the vast majority are untainted by the BP oil gusher. But they themselves had steered clear, with a vacation in Maine this month and one planned for Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., in late August. Gulf Coast hoteliers, restaurateurs and store owners have reported empty rooms and tables as well as plunging sales this summer, as Americans stay clear of what they imagine to be tar-filled beaches.

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