Obama may cut his Martha’s Vineyard holiday short

Washington, Aug. 28 (ANI): US President Barack Obama and the First Lady, who are holidaying at an island of Martha’s Vineyard, will travel to Boston on Friday evening to attend Senator Edward Kennedy’s funeral.

Obama is scheduled to deliver a eulogy on Saturday morning.

The change in schedule is due to bad weather forecasts. The Obamas want to ensure they can make it off the island of Martha’s Vineyard to Boston ahead of a coming storm.

According to deputy spokesman Bill Burton, tropical Storm Danny which could reach hurricane strength this weekend might cut short the Obamas stay on Martha’s Vineyard.

They plan to return to the Island after the funeral Saturday, if the weather allows, and then leave for Washington as scheduled Sunday. If the storm prevents a return, the Obamas would head to Washington from Boston on Saturday, Politico quoted him, as saying.

While the first family spent the day biking on Martha’s Vineyard on Thursday, Obama had begun work on the eulogy.

“It is something that he obviously takes very seriously. He’s been working on it. He’s obviously got a great team of speechwriters who he works with. This is going to be a very personal statement that he makes on Saturday,” Burton said.

With speculation swirling over who will replace Kennedy, Burton said Obama would not weigh in on the debate. That “isn’t a scale he’s going to put his thumb on,” Burton said.

Obama also doesn’t think the time is right to discuss renaming a health care bill for Kennedy. And Burton suggested that Obama would steer clear of the “win one for Teddy” rallying cry to boost the bill that some supporters have adopted.

Next week, Obama will have a health care event Tuesday and then travel to Camp David on Wednesday ahead of the Labor Day weekend. (ANI)

Obamas’ holiday in Martha’s Vineyard kicks off

Washington, Aug 24 (ANI): US President Barack Obama and his family have arrived at their sprawling vacation home, starting off their week of holiday in Martha’s Vineyard.

The family arrived on August 23 after a four-hour delay in Washington to avoid Hurricane Bill, and as they drove to their vacation home, they were greeted along the way by dozens of waving and cheering supporters, who carried signs reading “Aloha Obama Family” and “Hope, Obama”.

Senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, who owns a house on the island, joined the first family, and Obama’s half-sister Maya Soetoro-Ng was also with them.

Also travelling with the Obamas was their first dog Bo, who made an unscheduled appearance in the press cabin aboard Air Force One before being retrieved by Malia Obama.

Obama, through spokesman Bill Burton, said that there were no plans to visit ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy, and also dismissed speculation that the President might play golf with Tiger Woods as a “bad rumour”.

Burton also said that the President asked that the press “respect the privacy of the girls while they are out here on vacation”.

Burton also delivered “specific instructions from the president for the press corps” in a gaggle aboard Air Force One.

“He wants you to relax,” Polictico.com quoted Burton as saying.

“Have a good time, take some walks on the beaches. Nobody’s looking to make any news,” he added. (ANI)

Obamas’ to head for Martha’s Vineyard for summer vacation

Washington, July 6 (ANI): For their summer vacation, the Obamas are reportedly headed to Martha’s Vineyard.

The trip, however, could come with some complications for the first family, reports Politico.

By heading in that direction, the Obamas are setting themselves up for comparisons to the Clintons, who traveled there on more than one occasion, most notably after the Lewinsky scandal broke.

Vernon Jordan, a close associate of the Clintons, is a presence on the island – and there have been reports that Chelsea Clinton will be married at his home.

The island boasts a heady mix of Hollywood, money and politics.

Obama also has old friends in the town of Oak Bluffs, a go-to spot for influential African-Americans including Spike Lee and Henry Louis Gates.

What has Obama going for him in visiting Martha’s Vineyard?

“This vacation will be perceived in a completely different way because of the kids. It’s going to be cast in a very different light. There are great things for the kids to do. There’s the oldest merry-go-round in the country in Oak Bluffs. There are beaches and fudge shops. It’s not just about hobnobbing with rich people,” said one expert.

The Obamas’”need to find a place where they can relax, which the others did by going to their own homes,” said author and historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. (ANI)

Obamas eyeing Martha’s Vineyard for summer vacation

Washington, July 1 (ANI): U.S. President Barack Obama and his family are planning to go for a vacation to Martha’s Vineyard next month, Democratic sources said.

Rumours that the Obamas will be vacationing on the island have been making rounds for a long time, with federal agents reported to be checking out property last spring, reports the Politico.

The plan puts the family in one of America’s most diverse resort areas.

For the nation’s African-American elite, the enclave of Oak Bluffs has long been a favourite vacation spot.

Martha’s Vineyard was a favourite vacation spot of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary, now Obama’s secretary of state. (ANI)

When George Washington’s doc almost turned him into a Frankenstein!

New York, June 29 (ANI): An upcoming book says that George Washington might have become a Frankenstein’s monster had his personal physician prevailed.

Out in August, ‘Strange But True, America’ reveals that when the father of America died aged 67, his body was packed in ice.

“Dr. William Thornton proposed thawing the body-first in cool water and then with warm blankets and rubbing of the skin, with a subsequent tracheotomy, artificial respiration at the tracheotomy site and a transfusion of lamb’s blood,” the New York Post quoted Lone Pine, John Hafnor and Dale Crawford as having written in the book.

The tome further reveals that it was Martha Washington who firmly vetoed Thornton’s bizarre plan for an attempted resurrection. (ANI)