I remember hearing something about "hitting the ground running" in light of all the dire warnings amid unprecedented, monumental problems facing the United States. It appears that this has been forgotten in the dazzling light of presidential celebrity and pomp.
Barack Obama may have found that he is more interested in being ruler than in actually ruling.
WHAT'S THE RUSH? 'URGENT' $TIMULUS ON HOLD FOR BAM'S WEEKEND OFF
After pushing Congress for weeks to hurry up and pass the massive $787 billion stimulus bill, President Obama promptly took off for a three-day holiday getaway.
Obama arrived at his home in Chicago on Friday, and treated wife Michelle to a Valentine's Day dinner downtown last night. The couple was spotted leaving upscale Table Fifty-Two, which specializes in Southern cuisine, with the first lady toting what appeared to be a doggie bag.
The president plans to spend the Presidents' Day weekend in the Windy City, and is not expected to sign the bill until Tuesday, when he travels to Denver to discuss his economic plan.
Both the House and Senate passed the bill Friday night.
The push to get the bill through before the holiday weekend was so frantic, members of Congress didn't have a chance to read all 1,071 pages of the document before they could vote.
Air Force One is one 'spiffy ride,' Obama says
(CNN) -- During the first couple of weeks of his presidency, Barack Obama has made good use of his "spiffy" new ride.
The president, who has made several trips around the country in Air Force One, was particularly excited during his first trip on the plane as commander in chief when he flew recently to the House Democrats' annual retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia.
...As president, Obama's first ride on the helicopter Marine One to Andrews Air Force Base, where Air Force One is kept, also seemed to leave him impressed.
"It's spectacular," Obama said. "You go right over the Washington Monument, and then you kind of curve in by the Capitol. It was spectacular."
From 2 weeks ago: 'Restless' Obama and family head to Camp David
It took Barack Obama two years to get to the White House, but barely more than two weeks for wanderlust to set in.
"He's a bit of a restless soul," Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday when asked if Obama was feeling "cooped up in the White House."
Saturday, Obama and his family are due to head for Camp David for their first overnight stay at the presidential retreat in Maryland's Catoctin Mountains.
