Memo to Dana Milbank: The world is *always* burning

Dana “Pox on Both Their Houses” Milbank has once again filed an inane column for The Washington Post. This one criticizes President Barack Obama for going on vacation “while the world burns”. Milbank:

Obama stood on the South Lawn on Saturday updating Americans on the new bombing campaign in Iraq — and then he boarded Marine One for a two-week trip to Martha’s Vineyard. There, half an hour after arriving at his vacation home, he was already on his way to a golf course. He played again Sunday, then had a beach outing Monday followed by a political fundraiser.

Even presidents need down time, and Obama can handle his commander-in-chief duties wherever he is. But his decision to proceed with his getaway just 36 hours after announcing the military action in Iraq risks fueling the impression that he is detached as the world burns.

So, in other words, Milbank is admitting that Obama going to Martha’s Vineyard and playing some golf won’t impair his ability to run the country, but he shouldn’t take a vacation because of how it would look. Oh, and because the audio and video capabilities are better at the White House.

Plus, Hillary Clinton disagrees with how President Obama is handling Iraq! Did I mention Hillary Clinton has been openly critical of President Obama? Let me say that one more time: Clinton has suggested Obama’s doing it wrong!

Milbank’s column is a predictable Villager take. Similar fare has been appearing on the pages of The Washington Post for years.

Villagers have a reputation for being concerned with appearances and missing the forest for the trees. The world is, both literally and figuratively, always burning – there’s always a fire somewhere. In the words of Billy Joel:

We didn’t start the fire
It was always burning
Since the world’s been turning
We didn’t start the fire
No we didn’t light it
But we tried to fight it

Obama has taken far fewer vacation days than his predecessor, George W. Bush, but he seems to get no credit for this – not from Milbank or other pundits.

The right wing is constantly working to promote a fiercely negative impression of President Obama no matter what he says or does. If Obama wasn’t at Martha’s Vineyard, the attacks du jour would still be coming from Fox, Limbaugh, and others. The only difference would be the content of the talking points.