Here’s an AP article where the reporter thinks the central question is “how can Barack Obama have an uninterrupted vacation”. Read the following and see if you can find another, perhaps more relevant question…
HONOLULU (AP) — An ocean away from Washington worries, President Barack Obama opened his annual Hawaii vacation Saturday on a quiet note — and hoped it would stay that way for the next two weeks.
Every year, Obama and his family prepare to return to his birth state here on the sun-scorched shores of Oahu. And every year — until now — congressional squabbling has forced the Obamas to delay their trip.
This year, Obama was cleared for an on-time departure by Congress, which defied pessimistic expectations last week by passing a bipartisan budget deal, all but ensuring the government won’t shut down over the next two years. It was a far cry from presaging a new era of cooperation, to be sure, but a silver lining for Obama a day earlier as he acknowledged a year of frustrating “ups and downs” in an end-of-year news conference.
The president, first lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia, and first dogs Sunny and Bo hopped an overnight flight Friday aboard Air Force One to Honolulu, where they were whisked by motorcade to a beachside home in Kailua, a sleepy suburb with a five-mile stretch of beach popular among windsurfers and tourists.
The next morning Obama, typically an early riser, got a late start, staying at the home until early afternoon, when he headed to the golf course at a nearby Marine Corps base. Joining Obama for the round of golf were Sam Kass, the White House chef; Marvin Nicholson, Obama’s trip director; and presidential friend Bobby Titcomb, the White House said.
My question would be exactly how many people are in the entourage taken to Hawaii, why do they need to take Sam Kass other than for Obama to play with him, Marvin Nicholson “trip director” (?) (that’s a title? Guess so, it got him to Hawaii for 17 days), and is Titcomb paying for himself? I wouldn’t have so much of an issue with “trip director”, if there also wasn’t complete redundancy with multiple other scheduling and organizing arms.
Millions spent on this trip, again while the government is seeking to cut military pensions. Just roils my cookies big time.
Oh, and not to miss noting this, but it’s Obama’s 41st time playing golf this year and the 152nd outing of his presidency.