Michelle Obama Attacked for Trip to Spain

First Lady Michelle Obama is being called a "modern-day Marie Antoinette" for taking a four-day trip to Spain with her daughter by Andrea Tantaos of the New York Daily News. See editorial here.

Never mind that I don't consider four days a "vacation," that's a long weekend. Never mind that the Obama's are footing their own personal expenses. Never mind that the Obama's are parents of young children and understandably want to provide them with the best childhood experiences they can afford. Never mind that airline fares and packages to Europe are affordable to any middle class person who plans well, economic downturn or not. Never mind that the republicans constantly preach that in this capitalistic society people have the right to make and spend their money any way they want. Unless you're the wife of a democratic president, evidently.

The media has viciously attacked Michelle Obama for taking her daughter to Spain while the rest of the country seemingly sits at home and grills hot dogs. Of course the first lady is staying at a five star hotel, where else would you put the wife of a head of state? One reason Villa Padierna in Marbella was chosen was for security reasons. Sure, she could have taken the kid to the Grand Canyon, but she can afford to go to Spain. Her other daughter was sent to camp this summer, like many other American kids.

According to the White House, "Mrs. Obama is traveling with minimal staff and a small group of family friends for a mother daughter trip long in the works." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs' said, "the First Lady is on a private trip. She is a private citizen and is the mother of a daughter on a private trip." The reports of her traveling with "40 of her closest friends" are untrue. She joined two friends and four of their daughters and Mrs. Obama and her friends paid for their own hotel rooms and personal expenses. Another false report had her attending a charity ball in Marbella hosted by Antonio Banderas and Eva Longoria on Saturday night.

Yes, she flew on a plane referred to as Air Force Two. We're going to put Michelle and the president's daughter on US Air? According to White House policy, the government pays for official trips by the first family, but personal costs of the vacation are paid for by the Obamas. According to Newsweek, the hotel stay and all meals were footed by the Obamas and friends. "Any additional footprint," says a White House aide, "including additional rooms needed for security support, falls under the same rules as have applied to any previous first-family travel: the costs are split appropriately, with private expenses paid for privately; government expenses are paid for by the government." Criticizing the cost of secret service is specious because anywhere the Obamas went, they'd have secret service with them, and they would still need lodging and meals, and they would STILL have flown on Air Force Two.

Yes, the Secret Service had to go with her. She can't change rooms without the Secret Service behind her. Are we saying the First Lady shouldn't take a family vacation in the summer when her children are out of school? There hasn't been a president with young children since Carter. People have to cut these people a break. It's hard enough to provide them a "normal" childhood, let alone try to impose guilt on them every time they want to have fun.

Let's not forget the millions of taxpayer money spent flying the Bushes back and forth on the 77 trips they took during his term to their Crawford, Texas ranch. Each trip reportedly cost $226,072 per trip, amounting to $17,407,544. So, they didn't leave the country, so what? It still cost money at a time when the economy was in a free fall and war raged.

Those who criticized the Obamas for not choosing the Gulf Coast to vacation (which they do plan to do this week) are just looking for a reason to attack the first family. I don't begrudge any first family their private time, there is precious little of it. The fact is, being president means when you want to travel, you and your family are required to take government transportation and security. Don't you think they'd rather sneak off to some secluded getaway with no guards where no one knew them?

It seems it's okay for republicans to spend their money any way they wish, but when democrats do it, somehow it's wrong. When was the last time you saw a republican at a Motel 6? When the children return to school, Michelle will continue on with the non-stop work of being First Lady. A thankless job at best.

Sources: NYDailyNews; Daily Kos; CBSNews; Politics Daily