Jesus christ...Luigi and I agree on something. He's the leader of the free world. I don't expect him to have Croghan bologna and cheese curd laid out at a state dinner (extra points if you know what Croghan bologna is).
I think I must be reading into this issue differently than you. From what I am reading, Luigi is saying that Weds night happy hour is being paid for by the Obama's.
But all personal food and drink is paid by him, just as it was for every other president.
I am saying that he is charging the American taxpayer to wheel and deal during these parties, thus it is not paid by him. It is paid privately by him to have the PTA parents of Sidwell over for their meeting monthly meeting.
Nobody expects him to lower the stds for a state dinner. Everyone expects that the Obama's play the part that previous presidents did. I am just saying some one explain to me why he feels the need to do weekly happy hours at the WH on our dime. Yes, it is our dime, because it is being seen as professional not personal. DO you think that Bush personally paid for it when Teddy Kennedy watched a movie with him? No, that was business to get the No Child Left Behind passed, it wasn't personal.
Sorry, but I have a problem with this issue. It is even more amazing to me because administrations like Reagan got their ARSE handed to them because they bought new WH china, yet, we are in a recession, GDP is down, debt is up, the dow is at 10K, (@10% below July 2008), 10% unemployment, 10% of homeowners are in active foreclosure, 28% of homeowners are under water, military members are being asked to do with less because of defense budget cuts, and our President is having weekly cocktail parties. Sorry, but again he is Jimmy Carter...I feel your pain, while at the same time he does the exact opposite of what he asks for from Americans.
Feel my pain...okay, how about this, tell Michelle, her and the girls have no need to waste taxpayer dollars to go to Spain via the AF. Tell her that it is important we set an example, and going to NYC for the night to see a Broadway play is not how we do it. Tell her our Chicago home is being covered and Valentines Day will be spent here in DC at L'Auberge (who is so famous Visa made a commercial about...they don't take AMEX).
I have no problem with their summer vacation, they deserve it and privately paying for it, but truly it is BS to say they have not gotten a pass from MSM. Tell me why people made such a big deal about Bush 43 playing golf, but at the same time nobody talks about the fact that Obama has played more rounds in 2 yrs than Bush did in 8 yrs in office. Where is the MSM dogging Obama about that? Bush 43 got dogged by Howard Stern and MSNBC because he read a book to 6 yr olds when they whispered in his ear about the WTC, he then got dogged for flying around the country and not returning to DC. MSM did not accept the fact that it was protocol, they wanted to make him the poster boy of wasting tax dollars and being a coward. Michael Moore was their leader in this issue.
GW and Laura Bush were known in the beltway circle for visiting wounded soldiers privately. The Obama's not so much. Worse yet, Michelle Obama has taken the military family as her platform for 1st lady. I am still involved in the OCSC, Lynne Cheney has been a guest speaker multiple times(both as 2nd 1st lady, and now a civilian) in this area, Michelle has yet to accept the offering, nor has Jill Biden. Don't tell me the military is your platform like reading was to Laura Bush, and then decline an invitation from the military spouses to be a guest speaker....let's remember, security is not a real issue because bases/posts are closed with 100% ID...again talking and walking are 2 different things.
I am anxiously awaiting tomorrow night...will Obama make the same mistake as Bush by saying "mission accomplished" for Iraq, when we still have 50K military members there?