This week, the First Family begins a 10-day-long vacation in the swanky environs of Martha’s Vineyard, a favorite hangout for those who cannot afford a beach house on the Jersey Shore. Unfortunately for President Obama, his peers in Congress are not amused.
“It is just disgraceful how the President feels comfortable being off work when so many Americans are unemployed,” raged Congressional spray tan expert John Boehner (R-OH). “He needs to be at the White House, sending us economy-saving bills so we can shoot them down and accuse him of doing nothing.” Boehner, who was speaking from a seaside villa in 
Florida (the non-Gulf side), is currently enjoying Congress’ month-long summer break.
Democrats in Congress are not as concerned. Senator Harry Reid said, “Listen. We’ve got four whole weeks in September to try to railorad bills through the legislation before we go on our three-month winter recess. That’s TONS of time to argue about whether to end filibusters, call each other names, and to repeat false statements over and over again in hopes that the American voters will believe them.”
Scorekeepers in the media have the official Obama vacation tally at a whopping 48 days so far in his presidency, which sparked a nasty response from former Vice President Dick Cheney. “I never took any vacation days when I was President…. err, Vice President,” stated Cheney. “Sure, I took two days off when my so-called ‘heart’ exploded, but I was back on the job right away.”
President Obama is also taking heat for choosing to vacation somewhere other than the Gulf Shore, despite urging Americans to do so to help the area’s oil-soaked economy. The White House defended its absent leader by pointing out that he did, in fact, spend two days down there prior to his vacation. There are photos of the president mini-golfing with his daughter and swimming in the Gulf; however, rumors abound that the photos were actually Photoshopped using images of a vacation in Myrtle Beach, SC.
While Obama is taking a bit of a beating in the public eye, he did find an unlikely supporter in his predecessor, who responded from his ranch in Texas. George W. Bush told reporters, “I think he’s doing a heck of a job. I was just telling Laura the other day that he’s a workaholic. That fella needs to take more time off! He’s welcome to come to my ranch anytime and clear some brush off my property if he needs a break.”
Thankfully, the advent of the internet and cell phones means that the president can be in nearly constant contact with Washington on the off chances that some sort of actual progress is made on any of the issues currently facing the nation. He can also continue to update his Twitter and Facebook pages.