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Obama plunges into Gulf debate with swim stunt
President finds himself in deep water over Gulf trip and 9/11 mosque plans
President Barack Obama waded into controversy for the second time this weekend, with a stage-managed 'holiday' to the oil-stricken Gulf of Mexico which lasted all of 26 hours. He was attacked not only for the obvious publicity stunt – but also for involving his nine-year-old daughter in it.
In scenes reminiscent of Tory minister John Gummer's controversial 1990 photocall with his four-year-old daughter Cordelia - when he attempted to feed her a beef burger at the height of the BSE scare - Obama was photographed swimming in the Gulf with Sasha (above).
His aim was to restore public confidence in Florida's resort towns which have been badly hit by cancellations in the wake of the BP oil spill.
The President, First Lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha were photographed enjoying the delights of the Florida Panhandle: a game of mini-golf - in which Sasha nailed a hole-in-one - and a porpoise-spotting cruise around St Andrews Bay. Elder daughter Malia avoided the family outing by going to summer camp.
The White House also released a single photograph by its official photographer Pete Souza of Obama and Sasha taking a dip in the sea at Panama City Beach’s Alligator Point. All other photographers were banned from the photocall.
Although the Panhandle area is on the eastern edge of the oil spill, its beaches were still hit by tar balls and an oily sheen. The President promised that the beaches along the Gulf Coast were now "clean, safe and... open for business". He told reporters: "That's one of the reasons Michelle, Sasha and I are here."
But after just a day in Florida, the Obamas were back in Washington by Sunday lunchtime - to prepare for their real holiday later this week: a 10-day vacation on Martha's Vineyard.
According to the New York Times, the Obamas did not even stay the full 27 hours in Florida scheduled for them by the White House, spending just 26 hours on the ground. In a piece titled ‘The Obamas don’t linger on Gulf Coast’ the newspaper noted: “They came, they swam, they played miniature golf. They left an hour early.”
Obama's Gulf mission followed an equally controversial foray into the dispute over the mosque planned near the former World Trade Center in New York. Having avoided entering the debate - which has seen several prominent Republicans, including Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin, oppose the mosque - Obama said at a White House dinner on Friday: "As a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country.”
On Saturday, he appeared to backtrack, saying: "I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there."
Nevertheless, Republicans have accused him of being out of touch with “ordinary American feelings” on the subject. "To me it demonstrates that Washington, the White House, the Administration, the President himself seems to be disconnected from the mainstream of America," said John Cornyn, a Republican senator for Texas. ·
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An optimistic government report about the aftermath of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico 2010 is being disputed. National Incident Command had concluded in a report that most of the BP oil leak evaporated or had been collected or burned, but three reports say nearly the opposite . Shrimpers were given the green light. Last week President Obama swam within the gulf and ate seafood with his family. But a University of Georgia (UGA) study estimates that 3 quarters of the oil hasn't been recovered and remains a long-term threat to the ecosystem. On the sea floor, a huge toxic oil plume was detected by University of South Florida (USF) scientists. A study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) reports that the oil leak is a long-term threat to human health and gulf seafood safety.
Well done Frances, you've just shown that you're as intolerant as the conservative Islamic regimes. What ever happened to asking WWJD? (For the record i'm not particularly Christian myself but i think their core message of peace, love, tolerance and trying to follow Jesus' example is right on.)
Wrachid, So when are Catholics, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Church of England, United Church of Christ, Mennonites, going to be allowed to build Churches in MECCA??? Pray tell! And when that happens, THEN and only then will you be allowed to build any more MOSQUES in the United States of America!
You can always count on John Cornyn to be an example of everything that is worst and despicable about the Republican party. He and his party colleagues chronically claim to know what the citizenry of the U.S. is thinking, while they try, sometimes successfully, to stir up negative emotions about most things the Democratic party tries to do. No one I know here in the U.S. confuses Islam with the terrorist group that attacked the World Trade Center Sept. 11th. Unlike the leading anti-intolerance Jewish group who also condemn the idea of this center of Islamic learning-try to figure that one out-everyone I know is for the right of this group to build it on that property. Though I sympathize with the horrible feelings of loss of the friends and relatives of the victims of Sept. 11th, some of who claim that it shouldn't be allowed so close to their loved ones final resting place, the bigger picture is what must prevail. It's intolerance that caused the attack on the Twin Towers - are we going to answer with more intolerance? Taking the higher ground is often painful, but we have to stay on that path or risk meaninglessness.
as a muslim;I am glad to hear that The American President
Obama believes that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in his country.This demonstrates that the situation in the united states today seems very different from how it used to be ,and also America recognizes that dialogue and consultation remain the only way to solve sensitive issues and to defeat terrorism.Therefore,Obama should stay the hub of stability in this world.
Good job he didn't drown - BP would really be in trouble for that!