Monday
Jun212010
White House Defends Obama's Golf Outing
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 4:20PM
The White House defended President Barack Obama's most recent golf outing Monday, but continued to decry BP CEO Tony Hayward's attendance of a yacht race this weekend.
"I don't think that there's a person in this country that doesn't think that their president ought to have a little time to clear his mind," Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters. "I think a little time to himself on Father's Day weekend probably does us all good."
Burton noted that the outing took place during the same week that Obama secured the $20 billion escrow account for Gulf Coast victims.
The White House, however, was less forgiving of Hayward's trip. On Sunday's episode of This Week on ABC, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel described the CEO's excursion as the latest in a series of high profile gaffes. On Monday, Burton poked fun at the executive.
"Hayward ... took himself at his word that he was going to get his life back," Burton said, referencing the remarks that landed Hayward in hot water. "It's clear that he has."
Added Burton, "What’s important to us is that the people in the Gulf get their lives back. It’s not so easy for them to just take a weekend away and forget about everything that's happening down there. "
Obama's outing, which took place Saturday at Andrew's Air Force Base, raised eyebrows on the right. The Republican National Committee released an email the following day linking the President and the CEO's weekend activities and Chairman Michael Steele posted a blog instructing the President to give up golf, as well as other activities, until the oil spill is taken care of.
"No more golf outings, no more baseball games, no more Beatle concerts, Mr. President," Steele said.
"I don't think that there's a person in this country that doesn't think that their president ought to have a little time to clear his mind," Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton told reporters. "I think a little time to himself on Father's Day weekend probably does us all good."
Burton noted that the outing took place during the same week that Obama secured the $20 billion escrow account for Gulf Coast victims.
The White House, however, was less forgiving of Hayward's trip. On Sunday's episode of This Week on ABC, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel described the CEO's excursion as the latest in a series of high profile gaffes. On Monday, Burton poked fun at the executive.
"Hayward ... took himself at his word that he was going to get his life back," Burton said, referencing the remarks that landed Hayward in hot water. "It's clear that he has."
Added Burton, "What’s important to us is that the people in the Gulf get their lives back. It’s not so easy for them to just take a weekend away and forget about everything that's happening down there. "
Obama's outing, which took place Saturday at Andrew's Air Force Base, raised eyebrows on the right. The Republican National Committee released an email the following day linking the President and the CEO's weekend activities and Chairman Michael Steele posted a blog instructing the President to give up golf, as well as other activities, until the oil spill is taken care of.
"No more golf outings, no more baseball games, no more Beatle concerts, Mr. President," Steele said.
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