Update at bottom of post...First Lady Michelle Obama visited Ronda, Spain today, inland from the coastal resort of Marbella, where she's been staying at the Hotel Villa Padierna with daughter Sasha, 9, and a group of friends since Wednesday, August 4, President Obama's birthday. The Obama party toured the Casa del Rey Moro (House of the Moorish King), and Santa Maria, a classic Andalusian-style church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, AP reports. (Above: Mrs. Obama, Sasha and pals in Ronda today)
Foodie giftsBy Friday, the third day of what the White House describes as a "private mother-daughter vacation," Mrs. Obama had been showered by excited local citizens with an extravagant assortment of foods from the southern Mediterranean coast, as well as glowing headlines in the Spanish press. Two legs of salt-cured Spanish ham, local artisanal cheeses, olives, wines and various sweets had all been sent to the Hotel Villa Padierna, local media reported. Mrs. Obama's White House Kitchen Garden has become globally famous, as has her reputation as a First Lady with a major interest in food initiatives, so clearly the citizens of Spain are making a very thoughtful attempt at welcoming her.
The gifts will more than likely not be brought back to the White House, however, due to presidential food security restrictions, but what will be going back is all the criticism that is surrounding Mrs. Obama's first overseas vacation as First Lady, which has filled the American news cycle. (Above, Mrs. Obama waves to the gathered crowds today)
It's very different th
an the Spanish response. "Michelle Seduces Granada," was the headline in ABC, one of Spain's biggest newspapers. "Michelle Dances in the Sacromonte," was the headline in El Pais. In addition to reporting the excited crowds who have turned out to catch a glimpse of Mrs. Obama, and the foodie gifts, Spanish media is reporting other 'gastrobama' details, too. (Above: In Ronda, crowds lined the castle stairway to see Mrs. Obama)
El Mundo and El Pais cobbled together details about Wednesday night's dinner menu for Mrs. Obama and her party: Tapas, which included sea bass tartare, strawberry gazpacho and sardines, followed by a main course of lobster with seaweed risotto, which cost about 40 euros per person. Spanish media also claims Mrs. Obama called the President from the unnamed restaurant to sing him "Happy Birthday" as she dined. The White House reported a birthday call, but didn't say that it was mid-bite.Thursday's similar meal: It's reported as occurring at Buenaventura Plaza restaurant, with a dinner that included lobster with rice and oysters followed by torrijas, a Spanish bread pudding. Red wine accompanied the main course, and a local sweet white wine was served with dessert. Also from Thursday: The ice cream flavors Mrs. Obama and Sasha in between visiting the Alhambra Cathedral in Grenada and catching a flamenco show (Mrs. Obama: Chocolate. Sasha: melon and raspberry).
The vacation criticism A piece in New York Daily News by Andrea Tantaros on Thursday set the tone, and has been the harshest and received the most attention. (Above: Friday's activities included a trip to the beach, where the Obama party was snapped in action)
Mrs. Obama's "lavish" vacation makes her disconnected from the average American, according to Tantaros' very public spanking, which includes a side swipe at the Let's Move! campaign:
Michelle Obama seems more like a modern-day Marie Anoinette--the French queen who spent extravagantly on clothes and jewels without a thought for her subjects' plight--than an average mother of two. While she's spent her time in the White House telling parents they should relieve their chubby kids' dependency on sugar and stressing the importance of an organic veggie garden, hopping a jet to Europe to meet with Spanish royalty isn't the visual the White House probably wants to project.
Washington Post columnist Ruth Marcus defended Mrs. Obama, noting that while the trip may not be "politically smart," it's not an image wrecker for the First Lady."The Marie Antoinette reference was a nice line, but unfair. Michelle was taking her daughter on a trip, not pronouncing, "Let them eat tapas," Marcus wrote. Plenty of other outlets have risen to Mrs. Obama's defense, too.
But on CBS' Early Show on Friday, Republican strategist Leslie Sanchez announced that the trip may hurt the Dems' mid-term election efforts.
"The bottom line answer is optics matter," Sanchez said. "First ladies wield a tremendous amount of influence behind the scenes and they're the perception of the administration. At a time when we're seeing 9.6 percent unemployment, 70,000 jobs lost this month, people are losing their homes, and it doesn't convey that she senses the plight of working families."
Lynn Sweet of AOL's Politics Daily did the round up of the media coverage:CBS News has run two stories -- on its Thursday evening newscast and on Friday morning -- examining the public costs of Mrs. Obama's travels. ABC did a piece Friday morning about Mrs. Obama and Sasha buying matching sundresses, the ritzy resort they visited, and the heavy coverage of the visit by Spanish media. NBC ran a story about the trip as well, and more network coverage is in the works.
While the White House has emphasized that Mrs. Obama is paying her personal expenses, as are her friends who flew to Spain on their own, taxpayers do pick up a chunk of the tab. (Above: Spanish citizens in Grenada await Mrs. Obama)
Sweet recaps the expenses, too:
According to CBS News, the tax dollar part of the vacation include an estimated $146,000 round trip cost for the U.S. Air Force 757 aircraft, not counting ground time; about $95,000 in hotel costs for an estimated 70 security -- Secret Service and military -- who get a $273 per day government per diem, plus costs for the dozen or so cars in her motorcade. I'm told that three shifts of agents are needed for a trip of this magnitude.
There's also a vacation count going on in the media, tracking how many times Mrs. Obama has taken time off from her role as First Lady to relax. That number is eight or ten, depending on who is doing the reporting.
Sweet's final analysis: "I don't think anyone is begrudging Mrs. Obama vacations or sharing with her kids and pals some incredible opportunities she has from her unique perch to see the world. Some of this just has to do with the scale of a trip without some official substance."
Sweet was on Fox News on Friday afternoon, during which the anchor tried to pigeonhole her into citing hard numbers for the cost of the trip, which the White House has not officially released. Sweet refused.
Sunday's official visit
On Sunday, Mrs. Obama will meet with Their Majesties King Juan Carlos and Queen Sophia at their summer palace in Majorca, for a closed-press but "official visit." Pre-trip, El Pais reported that Mrs. Obama's visit to Spain will bring a $1 billion US boost to the local economy (800 million euros).
UPDATE, 11:30 AM:
Drudge Report has the cost of Mrs. Obama's vacation as its centerpiece headline today, linking to a story in UK's Daily Mail about the beach closure for yesterday's seaside swim. The Drudge headline reads Michelle O's $375,000 Vacation?!
Sweet discusses the controversy on MSNBC:
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Sweet adds further clarification on the costs of the vacation and details in a post published on her blog at Chicago Sun-Times, after this Ob Fo post was published:
Let's get some facts straight:
* I've seen reports that Mrs. Obama brought 40 friends on the trip. The East Wing has told me earlier in the week that is not true. On Saturday, the East Wing confirmed that Mrs. Obama is traveling with two female friends and four of their daughters.
The Daily Mail, quoting a paper in the resort city where Mrs. Obama is staying said, "The Obama party is due to attend a charity event hosted by actors Antonio Banderas and Eva Longoria on Saturday night, Marbella newspaper La Tribuna said.
The East Wing told me Saturday, "They are not hosting or attending a charity event. There is an unrelated event taking place at their hotel with some big movie stars expected, but the first lady is not going, nor is she on any host committee."
*Mrs. Obama's total entourage is larger, with staff and security. The East Wing will not say how many staffers are with Mrs. Obama. I've seen deputy chief of staff Melissa Winter and another staffer in photos.
*Mrs. Obama always travels--domestic and international--with an around the clock security force--uniform and in plain clothes. Taxpayers pay their salary and travel expenses.
*Photos: Reuters, Getty
