Obama Ditches Press Pool To Take Daughters To Aquatic Park

UPDATES:

More from the Obama press pool:

Dec. 26, 2008 Waimanalo, Hawaii Pool Report No. 5

President-elect Barack Obama arrived at Sea Life Park, a marine amusement
park in Waimanalo, about 12:10 p.m. He is apparently inside the park with
daughters Malia and Sasha. He left their Kailua vacation home without the
protective press pool.

Your pool arrived at the park about 1:10 p.m. and are holding outside the
park to await instructions on whether we will have access to the Obamas.

Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt issued the following statement to your pool:
"With no further scheduled events for the day, a lid was called until
further notice. The President-elect decided to take the girls to a water
park and we assembled the pool as quickly as possible."

The park is nestled along the shoreline in the sparsely populated and
scenic Waimanalo area, with soaring volcanic mountains nearby.

For the first time on his Hawaii vacation, it appears Obama gave the press pool that follows him the slip. From the Obama press pool report:

Dec. 26, 2008 Pool report No. 4 Kailua, Hawaii

President-elect Barack Obama left his vacation home with daughters Malia
and Sasha about 11:45 a.m. His motorcade left without the pool, the first
time he has done so on this Hawaiian vacation. Your pool, which had a lid,
was not informed in time and is now en route to the Kailua home to be swept
by Secret Service. Pool will attempt to meet up with the Obamas shortly.

The Obamas are apparently at Sea Life Park, a marine amusement park near
Waimanalo and Bellows Air Force Station.

Updates to come once the pool is taken to the park.

Comments

[kreoth]

i listened to some npr report on the obama press coverage; this story would appear to be genuine

obama will not be able to even floss in peace in the foreseeable future

[rbarry647]

Chicago NBC news reports there was a Honolulu is having a major Power Outage right now due to storm. Obama and his family are currently without power, they will be delivering a generator to the compound.

[BethinIllinois]

From reading a longer version in the Tribune, I think what the press pool is upset about is that reporters were misled. THe campaign/aides/whoever said the prez was in for the day, so the reporters were taken back totheir hotel, and then Obama left anyway. The Trib said this could have been (and see the "could" part!) breaking the rules of press engagement between Obama and the reporters. That stuff matters. They've set up guidelines and Obama should live by them.

That said, do I think the family deserves time alone? Absolutely. But apparently that's not necessarily the deal that was made. And I think that makes White House life very difficult for any family with young children. I know I've read that Jackie Kennedy worked extremely hard to make life as normal as possible for her two children. And I'm sure the Obamas will as well. (THose little girls are so darling now. Over these next four years, poor Malia will become a teenager, in front of hundreds of millions of eyes. Yikes. That could be not so fun for her!)

[lj9283]

I wonder if the Sea Life Park trip was a statement to the press about the need for the press to maintain their side of the "rules of press engagement" bargain which the Obama's might feel was broken with the telephoto lens photo of Mr. Obama shirtless in the backyard.

If the press pool breaks the rules, we break the rules. Now there's one on each side so they're back to even.

[DMHendrix]

Who cares that the press is "upset". Honest to God, they are the whiniest bunch of spoiled children who moan, groan, and pout when they don't get their way.

If they feel "misled" over a water-park trip....how do they explain the last 8 years when they were actually misled and they all just sat their on their notebooks and did nothing?

[Odeomi13]

The press have been misleading me for the past 8 years. Who do I complain to? No one. In fact I still have to pay my cable company and the newspaper subscription.

[ron071]

DMHendrix has it exactly right. The most abusive administration in history was barely " covered" at all and now the press has magically become "active". This reality leaves much room for conjecture regarding the " press".

[myview100]

I'll tell you why they were really upset. They were duped again! Remember that whole Gibbs plane kidnapping setup? When are they going to get a clue? This was surely their punishment for stepping out of the bounds of their own guidelines.

[moda31]

there are no rules about what the press does and doesn't have access to; they have no right to demand nor should they be granted access to every second of his day and private family time; at the end of the day he's a human being and there's absolutely no reason for them to throw a fit over not witnessing a simple outing with his kids. i doubt he actually "deceived" the press pool, perhaps he didn't plan to go anywhere, but i can only imagine the scene with a bunch of kids asking to go somewhere and hassling you till you say yes; i doubt the press pool was his primary concern, and it definitely wasn't the primary concern of a group of impatient children; nor should it have been. there are legitimate questions about access to newsworthy moments, but temper tantrums over this kind of outing only trivialize any claims the press might actually have to real access to the PE.

[waitforme]

What pomposity. Why should the press act like stalkers to a man and his kids? Incredible, -- Unless this is a joke piece of writing? Give us a sign.

[Rexford]

Well Chartridge, after reading your tirade, getting off one's a## and away from the computer, is easier said than done!

[chartridge]

Alifili are whomever- hear this-
The fact Obama spends time with his family is none of youre business or anyone elses and if youve got a bug somewhere then take it somewhere ELSE and get yourself a life- seriously.This petty commentary from you and anyone else is nothong less than boring. Go volunteer or help your neighbor- smile at a stranger- but get off your arse and off thie computer and make a difference somewhere!

[dmacgregor]

Funiest article line: "He left their Kailua vacation home without the
protective press pool."

[OTTOABASI]

Really Nice to See Senator Obama,take out time to spend with his family.This is important for every Leader.It's not just about work,conferences,meetings and State Visits.It's Also keeping the Balance betwenn Official life and Family Life.Obama is Modelling an example for others to follow.Let's learn from him.

[alifilee]

Listen Obama is going to be President shortly. He had some nerve ditching the press. He needs to be available 24/7 vacation or no vacation. He wanted the job so badly, so the press comes with the territory. A zoo or whatever over the press for a few minutes was poor judgment. He needs to get with it now. He says one thing about the economy and he does the direct opposite because we are all struggling, I guess he is in his own bubble and rents a 9M house for vacation in Hawaii, not bad. Shows to me, he is like all the rest, full of a lot of hot air! Personally, I am disappointed in him already. Starting with Clinton, why did he appoint her Secretary of State, what are her qualifications; he is mesmerized by her. I have no idea why. He needed to pick more new people and not almost everyone from the Clinton Administration. Poor judgment.

[prairiejane]

LMAO! I'm going to assume this is satire. Just hilariously entertaining!

Otherwise I have just 3 words: "Ranch in Crawford".

[LibKitty]

Make that the fake ranch in Crawford. You need livestock or crops to make a real ranch. Clearing brush on the fake ranch was choreographed to try to make Bush look more like Reagan or more manly or anything but the wimp he is.

[mick7191]

Even as president, the man and his family need a little space. And the 9M dollar house was probably the easiest to secure, considering he has received more death threats than any president in history. You know what disappoints me? Dipsticks like you who pass judgement on a man who has yet to be sworn in. Crawl back underneath your rock.

[LittleSanityLeft]

Your whole statement is wrong in so many ways I don't know where to begin.

Obama has two young girls and if he feels the need to ditch the press so that he can have some private moments with them why would that be a problem? It has nothing to do with governing so how is it any of your business?

Obama needs experience more then he needs new faces. The new government needs to burst out of the gates in less then a month and having inexperienced people in key positions just doesn't make since. By the way, considering the last Democratic administration was Bill Clinton's where do you expect the experienced candidates would come from George Bush? Jimmy Carter? Nixon?

As for renting the expensive home, it's his own money so he can do as he will with it and usually the more expensive the property the more private and secure the property is. Privacy and security is really important Presidents, so I hear.

[waitforme]

This is an odd piece of satire. Work on it.

[DMHendrix]

this kind of crap is exhausting....give it a rest.

[lynjs]

President-Elect or no, this is Christmas for God's sake. And they are his kids. Jesus people, it is the holidays. Don't the vultures or press who never get anything right have children or other family that they could be spending this time with? This is as bad as the paparazzi acting such a fool chasing down pics of the Cruise kid or the Pitt kids. These are KIDS. They deserve a life and time with their father. Find your priorities and a life.

[eremite]

As long as he doesn't ditch the secret service. I imagine he gets pretty tired of all that adulation from the lap dogs.

[ChristyH]

ENOUGH already!! If Barack is windsurfing and gets attacked by a shark and the Secret Service pull guns out from under their wetsuits to kill the shark and Barack only have lacerations on his calf from the shark bite - THAT IS NEWS..... if he takes his girls to a water park - NOT NEWS.... if he takes his daughters to buy a Christmas tree - NOT NEWS.... If he walks his daughter to a friends house - NOT NEWS.... If he & Michele go out to dinner - NOT NEWS..... which part of HE'S ON VACATION don't you get?

Maybe the entire press pool needs to take a refresher course in journalism.... If nothing happens out of the ordinary, it isn't news...... truly, the country does not need to know that Barack left the house at 7:45 am to work out for an hour...... returning home at 9:15 after stopping for a latte (skim milk, no foam)....

[impik]

Let the man take his kids to the park! Seriously, enough with that. He's on vacation.

[kgb999]

Christ! The man's vacation is news ... how? Why should the press be along for this part of the ride at all? This isn't the campaign trail anymore - his family deserves some space!

Since when did the national press corps turn into paparazzi?

[alifilee]

You offended me, don't use the Lord's name like that especially Christmas week, you are disrespectful and a jerk. Just to proof a point.

[JSDKoeln]

Christ, you should learn how to spell and ... Christ!!! stop being such a sanctimonious jerk!

[anastomosis]

Has no one thought that this is a joke by The Obama to show which pool of animals he prefers?