On his first trip home as commander in chief, President Barack Obama, whom Hawaiians call a favorite "child of the land," has gone underground. At Zippy's, a fast-food outlet in the Moilili neighborhood, a group of 2007 graduates from Mr. Obama's alma mater, Punahou High, weren't sure Wednesday whether the president was still in town. Marisa Tricas, a college student from nearby Manoa, said Mr. Obama visited so often as a senator and candidate that teachers had to force students to attend his speeches. "I'm proud he's representing Hawaii," she said, but "I kind of miss him."
During their vacation, the Obamas have secluded themselves in a compound near a military base. For the first six days, the only people here who saw the president up close were some Marines, his staff and a few friends.
The city shut down a public beach so the Obamas and their guests could swim on Sunday. On Tuesday, they picnicked alone on Hanauma Bay.
Security at the compound is so tight that Mr. Obama's two addresses to Americans after the foiled Christmas attack on an airplane in Detroit weren't televised live because satellite trucks couldn't get through in time.
It is not unusual for presidents to find they have a more distant relationship with their hometown constituents than they did before they entered the presidential security bubble. Still, Mr. Obama, by necessity or choice, has widened the gap between himself and the public. Political observers and White House officials say he generally travels with a fuller security detail than his predecessors did.
When George W. Bush was president, he would sometimes venture out to a coffee shop near his Crawford, Texas, ranch to order a burger and reconnect with locals. Bill Clinton thrived on public appearances during his visits to Little Rock, Ark., where his long years in the city ensured he knew many of the locals.
Mr. Obama's two vacations as president -- to Martha's Vineyard in August and here -- have generated many more "sightings" than they have genuine interactions with the public. That has the potential to exacerbate what critics and even some friends say is a tendency toward aloofness.
A White House press official said the president does travel with a "larger footprint"....
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Poster Comment:
" Marisa Tricas, a college student from nearby Manoa, said Mr. Obama visited so often as a senator and candidate that teachers had to force students to attend his speeches."
Ahh,it finally starts to come out. Many of his "Adoring fans" were forced to attend his speeches.
EVERY one of those teachers should be fired for playing politics with their students.
