The President Swam In the Gulf, Will You?
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 11:30AM
President Obama and daughter Sasha swim in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast Saturday (Photo via White House).President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha visited Panama City, Florida on Saturday. The President was there to meet with business owners who were concerned that vacationers would avoid the Florida gulf coast due to the horrific BP oil spill. The Washington Press Corps wondered if he'd go to a swim (and show off some chest action). The President joked that the last time he got caught with his shirt off he ended on the cover of magazines. Funny, but true. During the trip, Obama did go for a swim in the gulf with his daughter. He wanted it to be private, so the press was banned, but the White House later released this photo by official White House photographer Pete Souza.
Amazingly though, since the President "can't win" someone had to find something unholy about your run-of-the-mill, disaster zone photo-op. Enter the hyperbolic, rage-inducing coverage of the President swimming with his kid via The Daily Fail's alarmist, pearl-clutching write-up.
Sayeth The Daily Fail, I mean "Mail" (emphasis mine):
President Barack Obama has enlisted his youngest daughter Sasha for a publicity stunt that aims to tempt tourists back to the Gulf waters.
Obama took the plunge with the nine-year-old in the carefully-controlled publicity stunt, which aimed to show people that the waters of the Gulf of Mexico were safe and "back in business", despite the massive BP oil spill.
The trip led the New York Times to curtly observe that the family 'didn't linger' on the Coast, while other blogs even criticised him for failing to show off his chest in the photo.
Yeeeeeeah. The President didn't show his pecs, so he clearly hates Florida. Also, for some reason they compare Obama swimming in the gulf with his daughter to that photo-op disaster of 10 years ago when at the height of Mad Cow fears in Great Britain, Tory Agriculture Minister John Gummer staged a photo of himself and his 4-year-old daughter eating a hamburger only to be accused of burger consumption fakery. (His daughter refused to take a bite, so a staff member did the do.) But for that to be apropos Obama and Sasha would have to be swimming in a very large pool at the Hilton, claiming it was the Gulf of Mexico and ... um ... no.
OK, Daily Fail!
The only thing worth looking at on the Daily Mail's page is that it is chock full of the President, Michelle and Sasha playing miniature golf. Which is adorable. I will never get over Sasha's face of being completely over everything even when her parents are excited. Like, yeah, yeah. I got a hole-in-one. I know I'm awesome. You love me. We know this.
Reader Comments (10)
Team Sasha!
SO: :Eww Daddy my feet feel slippery!!
BO: Baby, just do the doogy paddle and keep smiling.
HELL " No "!
Not a chance. If the oil doesn't kill you, the cancer from the chemicals they dumped on in to "disperse" the oil will.
Agree w/ melpa. Negative son. I was visiting family in Pensacola this summer and we went to the beach. My cousin remarked that the algae/seaweed? that was all over beach had never come that far inland before. We concluded that whatever chemical they were using to "clean" was not good for the sea's inhabitants. So no swimming in the gulf for meeee!
They were ridiculous. POTUS shouldn't have gotten in there in the first place.
Sasha, however, was pleased to be in the company of her loving parents.
Clicked on the photo of the First Family playing mini-golf...what is the absolute FABULOUSNESS on Michelle O's feet?!?!
I went swimming in Fort Myers Beach at the HEIGHT of the oil spill and had no issues. There was VERY little oil in the entire state, mostly in pensacola. We really managed to avoid the worst of it and FL beaches are safe for now.
Surprise the Os are back in Maratha's Vineyard for another vacation.
The man just can't win.