Obama skips Polish funeral, heads to golf course

[Guest FroggyOne2]

Obama skips Polish funeral, heads to golf course - Washington Times

A massive volcanic plume covering most of Europe forced President Obama to cancel a Sunday trip to Poland to attend the funeral of the nation's president. But the last-minute change left an opening in his schedule, so the president headed to the links for a round of golf instead.

On a cool but sun-drenched Sunday, the president and three golfing companions went to Andrews Air Force Base to play 18 holes. It is the 32nd time Mr. Obama has played golf since taking office Jan. 20, 2009, according to CBS Radio's Mark Knoller.

After canceling the Poland trip on Saturday, the White House announced that Mr. Obama had no public schedule for Sunday. He was to have arrived in Krakow in the morning, attend the 2 p.m. funeral and leave for home by 5 p.m., arriving back at the White House after midnight.

Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife, Maria, along with dozens of top Polish government officials were killed April 10 when their airplane went down in heavy fog after clipping a tree on approach to Smolensk, Russia.

Mr. Obama has not gone to the Polish Embassy in Washington since the accident, but Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. both have. There, they signed a condolence book.

Mr. Obama was not the only world leader to miss the funeral because of the expanding volcanic ash cloud. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also canceled.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, however, flew by plane from Moscow for the funeral.

Other foreign leaders used different modes of transportation to get there. Slovenian President Danilo Turk decided to drive the 500 miles to Krakow. Romanian President Traian Basescu traveled to northwestern Romania by helicopter and then continue by car through Hungary and Slovakia.

Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip made the 18-hour drive to the funeral, while Czech Republic President Vaclav Klaus made the trip by car and train. Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko left Kiev with his wife at 7 a.m. Saturday for the long road trip.

Mr. Obama has played golf far more often than former President George W. Bush. In his eight years in office, Mr. Bush played just 24 times. His last time as president was Oct. 13, 2003.

He said in 2008 that he gave up golf "in solidarity" with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq.

"I don't want some mom whose son may have recently died to see the commander in chief playing golf," Mr. Bush said in a White House interview Saturday with the Politico. "I feel I owe it to the families to be as — to be in solidarity as best as I can with them. And I think playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

He stopped playing after he received word of a deadly attack in Iraq while playing golf during a stay at the family ranch near Crawford, Texas.

"They pulled me off the golf course, and I said it's just not worth it anymore to do," Mr. Bush said in the interview.

Since Mr. Obama took office, 397 soldiers have died in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Another 151 have died in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

[strickj]

He said in 2008 that he gave up golf "in solidarity" with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq.

...said the man who took more vacations then any other President in history

[Guest clsutton21]

He said in 2008 that he gave up golf "in solidarity" with the families of soldiers who were dying in Iraq.

Seeing pictures of him at his ranch cutting brush is much better.

[Guest jackdm3]

"I said it's just not worth it anymore to do."

Maybe his game just sucks?

[mikegideon]

I missed the funeral too. IRS took all my money

[Guest 6.8 AR]

...said the man who took more vacations then any other President in history

Except Obama

[strickj]

Except Obama

President Obama’s Vacation Days | FactCheck.org

[Links2k]

THIS IS SO STUPID! BUSH AND OBAMA SUCK EQUALLY. BOTH ARE IGNORANT, AND BOTH ARE/WERE POOR LEADERS. BUSH STARTED THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS COUNTRY AND OBAMA WILL FINISH IT. I hope that everytime Obama breathes someones head pops, because he can't take a crap without being flamed. Until you crybabies start voting issues instead of parties we will continue to have BAD leaders. We The People have to start holding politians accountable.

[mikegideon]

Except Obama

Look at it this way... the more he takes off, the less time he has to ruin your life

[Guest jackdm3]

Got a point there.

[mikegideon]

Got a point there.

Like my momma used to say, "Every cloud has a silver lining". Always made me feel better, even though it's really bull

[Guest clsutton21]

President Obama’s Vacation Days | FactCheck.org

Don't throw facts in their face, it doesn't mean anything to people with no cognitive ability. In fact, making them think is almost downright mean.

[mikegideon]

Don't throw facts in their face, it doesn't mean anything to people with no cognitive ability. In fact, making them think is almost downright mean.

Glen sez those fact checkers are commies

[Chucktshoes]

THIS IS SO STUPID! BUSH AND OBAMA SUCK EQUALLY. BOTH ARE IGNORANT, AND BOTH ARE/WERE POOR LEADERS. BUSH STARTED THE DESTRUCTION OF THIS COUNTRY AND OBAMA WILL FINISH IT. I hope that everytime Obama breathes someones head pops, because he can't take a crap without being flamed. Until you crybabies start voting issues instead of parties we will continue to have BAD leaders. We The People have to start holding politians accountable.

This.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Look up who runs Factcheck. org, before you make claims you can't

back. They're full of "facts". Get your facts right, first.

Edited April 19, 2010 by 6.8 AR
grammar

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Look at it this way... the more he takes off, the less time he has to ruin your life

Definite benefit, there:D

[mikegideon]

Look up who runs Factcheck. org, before you make claims you can't

back. They're full of "facts". Get your facts right, first.

Are you sayin' they really are commies? I figured glen's tourettes were just kicking in at the time

[mikegideon]

Look up who runs Factcheck. org, before you make claims you can't

back. They're full of "facts". Get your facts right, first.

Browse > Home / About Us

About Us

Our Mission

We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit "consumer advocate" for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.

FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania. The APPC was established by publisher and philanthropist Walter Annenberg to create a community of scholars within the University of Pennsylvania that would address public policy issues at the local, state and federal levels.

[TripleDigitRide]

I thought it was the volcanos fault. I heard that a large number of people were not able to attend the funeral because of the volcano.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

That "About us" has changed since I last saw it. Annenberg was a place Obama sat as a co chair while he was still in Illinois being

a community organizer. As far as I'm concerned they are about as credible as Chris Matthews as a news anchor. You can find anything you want on the internet, can't you? snopes.com is another great source of facts. They were exposed once, also.

Beck isn't the only one questioning Factcheck, either.

[Mike.357]

who gives a flip if Obama is playing golf? For God's sake he is not even playing once a week. I don't care how much he sucks, or is a bad president or whatever. Playing golf every other week is not extreme or something to answer for.

[mikegideon]

That "About us" has changed since I last saw it. Annenberg was a place Obama sat as a co chair while he was still in Illinois being

a community organizer. As far as I'm concerned they are about as credible as Chris Matthews as a news anchor. You can find anything you want on the internet, can't you? snopes.com is another great source of facts. They were exposed once, also.

Beck isn't the only one questioning Factcheck, either.

So... if all the fact checking groups are in on the conspiracy, I guess there's nobody left to trust, except Beck, of course.

[mikegideon]

who gives a flip if Obama is playing golf? For God's sake he is not even playing once a week. I don't care how much he sucks, or is a bad president or whatever. Playing golf every other week is not extreme or something to answer for.

Slow news day, so let's pick a few nits

[Magiccarpetrides]

who gives a flip if Obama is playing golf? For God's sake he is not even playing once a week. I don't care how much he sucks, or is a bad president or whatever. Playing golf every other week is not extreme or something to answer for.

+1

Im no Obama fan, but love him or hate him...hes our President til at least 2012.

[Guest db99wj]

who gives a flip if Obama is playing golf? For God's sake he is not even playing once a week. I don't care how much he sucks, or is a bad president or whatever. Playing golf every other week is not extreme or something to answer for.

+1

Im no Obama fan, but love him or hate him...hes our President til at least 2012.

+2

That window could possibly close up again then he is stuck over there, could have not had ample enough time to put all the security measures in place, could be...He played golf, whoopie.