Let Them Eat Alpo

It's a dog's life (h/t Cousin Dan):

Arriving in the idyllic coastal retreat of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, Mr Obama left behind him in Washington DC high profile debates over the budget, government surveillance and his health care reforms. Instead, he will spend the next eight days playing golf, going to the beach, and buying books from the Bunch of Grapes bookstore.

In the air he swapped his suit and tie for khakis and a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves, while Mrs Obama wore a yellow-and-white summer dress.

Bo, the president's Portuguese Water Dog, arrived separately on one of two MV-22 Ospreys, a hybrid aircraft which takes off like a helicopter but flies like a plane.

We recently went on vacation to Ohio and Kentucky in a late model sedan. We must not be doing it right.

Let's make one thing clear -- the "president is on vacation" meme is always tiresome, because a president never is really on vacation. The portsiders would complain that George W. Bush spent approximately 324,281 days of his presidency at his ranch in Crawford, Texas*, so I'd rather not begrudge the Obamas a week in Martha's Vineyard, but let's face it -- flying in the dog with an MV-22 Osprey is a little over the top.

*The problem wasn't the vacation, it was the destination. If you were a reporter following the president, would you rather be in Martha's Vineyard or a nasty-hot Texas ranch, especially in the summertime? I've always thought that had W. spent more time in Kennebunkport with Dad, we'd have heard a lot less about it.