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 Posted: Wed 2:27, 04 Sep 2013 Post subject: Michelle Obama Spain trip sparks class resentment |
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Michelle Obama Spain trip sparks class resentment,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]
But it is not so simple when Mom is the first lady of the United States,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych]. And the trip is to a luxury resort on Spain's Costa del Sol. During tough economic times at home,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych].
Michelle Obama's five-day trip to the south of Spain with daughter Sasha touched off a mini-firestorm stoked by questions about the wisdom of such a glamorous trip and over-the-top speculation about who was footing the bill and how many friends were along for the ride.
Obama aides scurried to fact-check over-the-top speculation about trip: The first lady traveled with a "minimal" number of friends,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], not 40, though no exact number was given. The friends got to Spain on their own, not flying on government aircraft. Mrs. Obama and her friends paid for their own meals and hotel rooms. She did not attend a fancy gala. And so on.
But the first lady does travel with Secret Service protection - at taxpayer expense, cost unannounced - and the expense of flying her military jet to Europe and back must have been considerable. Her entourage did book 60 rooms at one posh hotel,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], where the average room price is about $660,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], and claimed more rooms elsewhere. "The more expensive a trip, the more criticism it invites. And yet that has to be balanced against the fact that the first lady,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], like anybody else, is in need of a vacation and a change of scenery."
Longtime presidential friend Marty Nesbitt said in an interview that the idea for the trip originated with his wife,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Anita Blanchard. Blanchard,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], a doctor who delivered both of the Obamas' daughters, suggested that Mrs. Obama and Sasha accompany her and her daughters on a trip to Spain. Another Obama friend joined the two women, he said.
Noting that his wife's father had recently died, he said, "They're good friends and that's a tough time." He added, "When someone delivers your children, that's kind of an important bond,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], I think."
White House adviser David Axelrod said Monday on CNN television,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], "Yes,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], she is the first lady of the United States. She's also a mom. She wanted to take her daughter on a trip. They went with some friends of the family to celebrate another little girl's birthday. There aren't all that many places to go where you get privacy. Wherever you go,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], security is going to come, not because she asked for it,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], but because that is a nature of her - of her position in life."
While in Spain, Mrs. Obama and her daughter also paid an official visit to King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia. And the first lady kept up on issues back home, issuing a statement praising congressional approval of child nutrition legislation.
Democrats said any criticism of her personal travels was out of bounds.
"It's wrong to talk about the first lady's family vacation as a politician," Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine said Monday on NBC television's "Today" show. "She's a mom."
She's a mother who knows her every word,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], move,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], gesture and fashion choice can be subject to analysis.
For the most part, Mrs. Obama has managed to avoid controversy during her time as first lady,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], sticking to a handful of relatively safe issues such as fighting childhood obesity,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], helping military families and promoting national service and mentoring.
A Gallup poll released last month found the first lady's favorability ratings topped those for her husband,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush and a host of other figures in the public eye.
But Mrs. Obama has not been immune to criticism.
Early in her husband's presidency, the first lady was skewered for wearing pricey sneakers by French design house Lanvin when she volunteered at a food bank. (The shoes can go for upwards of $500.)
And the first couple caught criticism when the president and Mrs. Obama flew Air Force One to New York last year for a date.
"If I weren't president, I would be happy to catch the shuttle with my wife to take her to a Broadway show, " Barack Obama groused months later. "The notion that I just couldn't take my wife out on a date without it being a political issue was not something I was happy about."
There also was a bit of grumbling last year when Obama ended a four-nation trip with some Paris sightseeing with his wife and their two daughters,[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], including a stop at Notre-Dame Cathedral. The girls and the first lady lingered in the city after the president left for home, visiting the Eiffel Tower and other spots.
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs last week tried to dismiss questions about the first lady's trip by saying, "She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip."
But fair or not, any action by a modern president - or his wife - is sure to be viewed through a political prism, said McBride, who was Mrs. Bush's chief of staff.
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