Thankfully, First Lady Michelle Obama is back safely from her personal trip to Spain's Costa del Sol over the weekend. Sadly, a few vocal dissenters did all they could to stir up a controversy.
The criticism came despite the fact that it was a personal trip and the Obamas paid all of their own expenses. The American taxpayer paid for her security and staff costs, as is true with every First Lady's travel.
So what is to be gained from such strident attacks? Perhaps it furthers a make-believe narrative that the Obamas are out of touch with real America. Yes, Michelle Obama grew up in Chicago's inner city, but she went to Princeton and Harvard Law! Perhaps opponents are not happy with the First Lady's relatively high approval ratings. For them it is better to attack all things Obama!
Is Spain such an inappropriate place to vacation? Having just taken my daughter to southern Spain I can attest to its beauty, its glorious culture and its amazing history. We, however, did not get to meet the King!
Spain is a reliable supporter of the United States. They have deployed 1,500 troops in Afghanistan. They recently took five of America's toxic Guantanamo prisoners off our hands.
Meanwhile, Spain's economy is struggling. Their unemployment rate is nearly 20%. The government is under attack for alleged corruption. Some of these charges are related to Spain's southern coast, which is burdened with a glut of condominiums, many of them empty and teetering on bankruptcy.
For this reason most Spaniards were thrilled to have the American First Lady in their country. August is usually a busy time for the tourist industry. But even the popular Costa del Sol has felt the impact of the economic downturn. Restaurants are not full, stores are not doing the business they had hoped and some foreign visitors have not come this year. Residents hope that the First Lady's visit will serve as a catalyst for tourist traffic.
The First Lady went to Spain knowing full well that some critics would squawk. Perhaps that is why she did not bother to explain to these critics that her original motive was to comfort a good friend who had recently lost her father. But wait, why should she have to explain everything she does?
The First Lady was unable to attend the July funeral of Chicago physician and best friend Anita Blanchard's father. Blanchard had planned a Spanish vacation with her daughter and asked the First Lady to come along with her daughters. Mrs. Obama only took Sasha because her older daughter is away at camp. The Secret Service decided on the exclusive hotel for security reasons.
Of course, those who are critical of the Obamas will doubt this explanation and will continue to stir the pot.
And most of us will be reminded of that old maxim: No good deed goes unpunished. Especially if you are the First Lady!
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Since they're not old enough to vote, there's not much they can do about it anyway. But I do think Ms. O's 'private citizen' days are coming to an end..
Mrs. Obama's crime is being well-educated, well-spoken, well-dressed, being married to the most powerful man in the world and being black. She should know her place, never leave her house, wear the cheapest clothes possible and never utter a sentence that makes her sound like she has half a brain in her head. That is the only thing that would make these people happy. How DARE she not content herself with pitching a tent in the yard and calling that her vacation, is it not enough that she and her family sully the White House with their non-white presence?
I pay no attention to the complaining idiots, where was their outrage when our former President was starting two wars he had no way to pay for since he cut taxes for the rich and when he was hopping a plain (repeatedly) to go and play Farmer Brown down in TX.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/aug/10/michelle-obama-spain-vacation
How many of them got out there to pass unemployment benefits, or prevent education from being cut over the last couple of weeks? Absolute hypocrites.
That's all the reason for the haters to hate. I think you already knew that though.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/aug/10/michelle-obama-spain-vacation
Aside from the Antoinette name calling, why can't the American people discuss and question the taxpayer cost of the FL travels, and without it being considered an attack? Because of the Contra Arms Exchange, Watergate and political assassinations of our beloved political & social leaders, gone are the days when the American people sat on the sidelines in silent. Everything and everyone are up for the transparancy test. Does that ring a bell?
Read more: http://www.america.gov/st/washfile-english/2006/October/200610251558581CJsamohT0.2887689.html#ixzz0wnC5JhQD
The former first lady,Laura Bush said Americans are continuing Buck’s legacy of humanitarian efforts with such programs as the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council, which provides Afghan women with jobs; the president’s programs to fight malaria, HIV/AIDS and other illnesses; and such educational programs as the African Education Initiative, which is providing millions of textbooks for African schoolchildren and already has trained more than 400,000 African teachers. (See related article.)
The first lady also was praised for her involvement in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and her visits to many countries to highlight effective programs that work with partner governments and local relief agencies for the treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS.
You see her trips to Africa we not all for pleasure.
I'm not surprised at the outright lies being propagated about the First Lady's vacation. AT least she was truthful and didn't schedule photo ops with foreign children and a few functionaries to call it a "diplomatic" trip.
All I can say is "You go GIRL!"