CBS and NBC on Saturday night ran full stories on criticism of President Obama for vacationing with his family this weekend in Maine instead of along the Gulf coast, but Chip Reid, CBS White House correspondent, couldn’t resist defending Obama by invoking an unfavorable comparison with George W. Bush, enhanced by an on-screen graphic:
Whatever criticism there may be of the President's vacation choices, he's spent 33 days on vacation in his first 18 months. His predecessor, George W. Bush, spent 96 in the same period.
Reid proceeded to assure CBS Evening News viewers that Obama is on the job despite video of him walking up a mountain path and licking an ice cream cone: “Since the President's been here, even though he's technically on vacation, he's received numerous briefings on everything from the economy to national security to the oil spill.”
For the Obama family, vacation means non-stop activity. In less than two days on the Maine coast, they've been seen touring a lighthouse, taking in scenery from a mountaintop, boating in the harbor, going for a hike and getting ice cream. Off camera they've also gone biking, swimming and played tennis.
