Vacations

I'm back in my beloved hometown of Appleton, Wisconsin this weekend for a high school reunion, which is part of a longer vacation we're taking here. It's always fun to be home and we had a great time last night visiting with my brother and his family. I'm looking forward to seeing my old classmates tonight, some of whom I haven't seen in a long time.

As it happens, President Obama is also on a vacation and that has led to the most pointless exercise in American politics, which is sneering at politicians when they take vacations. The president and his family have apparently decided to decamp to Martha's Vineyard, an exclusive enclave that the average American can't afford to visit. I understand it's a lovely place.

Good for him. Whether you like Obama or not, I see no reason to begrudge the man a vacation with his family. And if he can provide a deluxe experience for his wife and children, it's not really any of my business.

Meanwhile, because some Republicans are sniping at the president over his vacation, we've been reminded that the president's predecessor took many more vacation days than Obama has. This assertion remains stupid. As everyone knows, or should know, the President of the United States is never really on vacation. He might be away from the White House, but the duties of office follow him everywhere he goes. George W. Bush would spend a lot of time at his ranch in Texas, but he certainly couldn't ignore his duties while he was there. And Bush dealt with issues every day during his vacations, just as Obama will have to deal with all manner of issues while he's in Martha's Vineyard. Maybe Cindy Sheehan can pay Obama a visit.

If you want to criticize the president for the way he's performing his duties, feel free. I think there's ample reason to offer criticism, as I suspect you've noticed. But I hope he enjoys his vacation time now. Once he gets back to Washington, he won't be enjoying much.