President Obama, First Family Kick Off Vacation on Martha's Vineyard

WASHINGTON, Aug. 19, 2010 — -- President Obama and the first family today escape from life inside the Washington beltway and retreat to the summer vacation island of Martha's Vineyard, where they'll soak up the sun and enjoy time together as a family.

The 10-day getaway, the family's' fourth and longest this year, comes after a whirlwind campaign swing through the West Coast by Mr. Obama earlier this week and amid a swirling controversy over the president's comments about a proposed Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero in New York.

With no public events scheduled for the week ahead, the president will get a break from the media spotlight and the partisan political battles that have intensified with just three months before November's midterm elections.

"Like a lot of the American people, the President is taking a little time with his family to recharge his batteries," White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters Thursday. He said he expects the first family will go hiking, spend time at the beach and "enjoy the people and the good food" on the island.

The first family has already taken a few weekend excursions out of Washington this summer, but the week on Martha's Vineyard will be their first extended vacation of the season.

President and Mrs. Obama took their youngest daughter Sasha to visit Panama City Beach, Florida last weekend in a show of solidarity with the Gulf tourism industry in the wake of the BP oil spill. In mid-July, the entire family spent a long weekend in Acadia National Park in Maine.

Earlier this month, Michelle and Sasha Obama made a four-day trip to Marbella, Spain, where they stayed in a five-star resort, and in May, the family traveled to Chicago for the Memorial Day weekend.

The travels, particularly the trip to Martha's Vineyard, have been criticized in some circles as being too lavish at a time when many Americans are struggling economically – claims which the White House does not find concerning.

"Whenever you talk about a presidential vacation, you ought to put the word 'vacation' in quotes, because you can bet that there will still be work that he's doing every day," said Burton.

Republican strategist Ron Kauffman, an advisor in the administration of George H.W. Bush, said vacationing presidents get constant policy updates, particularly on matters of foreign affairs. "The truth is you never get away from the work," he said. "Most domestic issues can be put off for a week or so, but foreign policy you can't."