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Michelle Obama, Sasha, Malia, Bo to Hawaii; Not Taking the Jumbo Jet

1 year ago
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Lynn Sweet
Lynn Sweet
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First Lady Michelle Obama, daughters Sasha and Malia and family dog Bo will fly to Hawaii on Saturday for a winter vacation, Politics Daily has learned, while President Obama remains in Washington to deal with Congress.
In a pre-emptive move -- remembering the stinging criticism of her lavish vacation to Spain last summer -- the East Wing volunteered that Mrs. Obama will be flying to Hawaii in a military version of a business airplane -- not the jumbo jet that flew her to the Mediterranean coast in August.
The first family originally had been scheduled to head to Hawaii on Saturday; the Obamas for years have celebrated Christmas and New Years in the state where Obama was born.
"Given the uncertainty of the president's schedule, First Lady Michelle Obama and their daughters will be departing on Dec. 18 as originally scheduled to join their family in Hawaii for the holidays," Mrs. Obama's spokesman, Catherine McCormick Lelyveld, told Politics Daily.
"The first family and Bo will be traveling on a C40B, one of the smaller and most efficient planes available in the White House fleet for this trip. The president will join them when the congressional session is complete. The entire first family will return to Washington, D.C. Jan. 1, 2011."
President Obama is delaying his trip because Congress has yet to finish work -- or give up on taking action for now -- on a variety of issues as of Friday: the budget, the START Treaty with Russia, the DREAM Act and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Obama has a special urgency to get things done now, because when the 112th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 5, the GOP will be in control of the House and the Senate Democratic majority will be diminished.
Mrs. Obama took a summer vacation to Spain that was billed as a "private mother-daughter trip with longtime family friends" that included a stop at the summer palace of Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia of Spain.
The Spain trip earned Mrs. Obama the harshest press of her tenure as first lady. The negative stories started as soon as she arrived in the Mediterranean coastal city of Marbella for a stay in the super-posh Villa Padierna, along with Sasha, her youngest daughter, and some friends. One of the enduring visuals of that trip was the picture of a big Air Force 757 parked at a Spanish airport. Many news outlets and blogs reported, inaccurately, about the size of Mrs. Obama's entourage, contributing to the bad press. But the East Wing declined at first to give out many facts about the trip. I set the record straight in an August Politics Daily column.
Filed Under: The Daily FLOTUS with Lynn Sweet, Congress, White House, Barack Obama
Tagged: dailyguidance, Michelle Obama
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242 Comments

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Jan

Excuse me, but aren't his grandparents deceased? So, how could they be staying with them? Personally, I believe that they will be staying somewhere that will accommodate them in the manner to which they have become accustomed: you know, the mansion, the servants,and the plane... and let's see,is this vacation number 5, 8, or 10? Stress is a bummer.

January 04 2011 at 12:00 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
rclark96

Of course the President's family is entitled to a vacation, and they don't really have the option of travelling via commercial flight. What's the problem? Every President (and their family) has taken a vacation and used government resources to permit it to happen. I have no problem with that.

December 24 2010 at 3:00 PM Report abuse -2 rate up rate down Reply
stevenwroll

George Bush oftentimes met with foreign dignitaries at his ranch in Crawford, times any rational person would not consider to be vacation. I'm SUUURE that pres. Obama's staying w/his grandparents, whichever oneof you dolts it was said that. Not happening. And do you think for 1 second that our tax dollars aren't going to the foreign countries on his trips? Of COURSE they are, but that's part of his job. Jaunts to Hawaii aren't.

December 24 2010 at 1:55 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Charles

I bet if you looked up a fact every now and then, you would not be posting the ignorant statements you made. Bush, broke both the previous records for vacation days as a President. It not only is a known fact, but it was used as a measure of the man himself, when it was concluded that Bush spent 33% of his 8 years on vacation, and the rest of the time lying to America.

December 23 2010 at 10:52 PM Report abuse -5 rate up rate down Reply
teenagerinsac

Attention... all of you folks here who didn't know this fact.....

Air Force One, SAM 28000/29000 the 2 B747-200 aircraft, are EXCLUSIVELY for the PRESIDENT- and ONLY when he is aboard also- because of its classified capabilities, communications-wise for emergencies, etc (in case of WW 3), and that is why they didn't fly aboard it without him along.


Thanks- former AF guy here- SAC

December 23 2010 at 10:32 PM Report abuse +5 rate up rate down Reply
marysown50

I my self would love to go to Hawaii for the holidays. But I don't have a jumbo jet at my bec and call.

December 23 2010 at 8:07 PM Report abuse +6 rate up rate down Reply
debij

President & Mrs. Obama, Sasha, and Malia: Enjoy your Holidays and God bless each and every one of you. Sasha and Malia: enjoy yourselves and play with Bo every day.

December 23 2010 at 2:26 PM Report abuse -8 rate up rate down Reply
taylomd

Enjoy your vacation.

December 22 2010 at 1:15 PM Report abuse -11 rate up rate down Reply
Trigger

President Obama’s Vacation Days | FactCheck.org

From:
Presidential vacations: A little perspective, perhaps?

Of the recent Presidents (going back to Carter), in their first year in office (not including Camp David):
Carter spent 19 days on vacation (1.6 days per month)
Reagan spent 42 days on vacation (3.5 days per month)
Bush Sr. spent 40 days on vacation (3.3 days per month)
Clinton spent 21 days on vacation (1.8 days per month)
Bush Jr. spent 77 days on vacation (6.4 days per month)
Obama spent 26 days on vacation (2.2 days per month)

December 22 2010 at 11:22 AM Report abuse +2 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Trigger's comment
LAURA J

Give him time, he'll surpass Pres Bush!

December 24 2010 at 10:13 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Sal Ziccarelli

Please get your facts right, a 757 is not a jumbo jet, a 747 is and that is what Mechelle and company used to fly to Spain.

December 22 2010 at 11:01 AM Report abuse +8 rate up rate down Reply

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