Obama holidays at die-hard Republican’s mansion

Having decided on Martha's Vineyard for their summer holidays in August, as reported here earlier this month, Barack Obama and his family have finally chosen their holiday home - opting to stay at a $20m mansion owned by a diehard Republican, but blessed with its own golf course, beach, pool and golf course.

Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark is owned by William Van Devender, a timber guru from Mississippi. Although he seems willing to let Obama and the First Family rent his house in the southwest of the island, he did his utmost to keep them out of the White House last year.

Van Devender and his wife Mollie bankrolled Fred Thompson's bid to win the Republican nomination and when that went off the rails gave the maximum financial donation allowed under law to John McCain.

That has not deterred the Obamas who are negotiating a rental deal for the property which could run to $50,000 a week. They are said to be splitting the cost three ways - the First Family paying their share, while the Secret Service and the White House, both of whom are sending large entourages, pay the rest.

There had been speculation that the Obamas might choose the north-east corner of Martha's Vineyard, favoured by the black elite, including Oprah Winfrey and Spike Lee. But they appear to have been won over by the facilities at Blue Heron Farm. The white Victorian-style ocean-front farmhouse has five bedrooms, private access to Squibnocket Beach, plus a private dock with kayaks and a yacht.

Meanwhile Congress has dealt a blow to the conspiracy theorists known as 'birthers' who do not accept that Obama was born in Hawaii. It has passed a motion that commemorates the 50th anniversary of Hawaii's statehood, but also describes the state as Barack Obama's birthplace.

Birthers believe that Obama is not eligible to be president as he was born outside the country, despite birth certificates and other evidence to the contrary. ·