No Vacation for the President

Billy Kenber: “As a Times of London journalist who is on loan to The Post for a few months, I find the extent of the cult of celebrity surrounding the Obamas striking. Throughout last week, the president looked like a man who, on a rare
excursion from the intensity of living in one of the most famous
buildings in the world, wanted nothing more than to be left alone for a
few days. And yet the crowds and the media were determined to ensure he
wasn’t.

“This summer scrutiny stands in contrast to the treatment of
politicians in Britain. Although the sex lives and private indiscretions
of MPs are considered fair game — for both the tabloid and broadsheet
press — vacations have remained more sacred territory.”