I spent the last seven days in Hawaii with the President.
Oh sure, the purists will point out that I didn’t technically spend any time with him, but I would invite the doubters to review the empirical evidence.
He went to the beach. I went to the beach.
He stayed somewhere in Kailua. I ate a Lahaina Burrito at Maui Tacos somewhere in Kailua.
He and his family visited Hanauma Bay for snorkeling (the park was closed for his visit). We did too (the parking lot was closed for ours).
We went to a Luau.
The President didn’t, but the White House did host one back in June.
Close enough.
He visited his grandfather’s grave at Punchbowl. We visited the Arizona Memorial, the grave for a thousand Sailors killed on December 7, 1941.
He worked out at Kaneohe Bay with the Marines. I hiked up to the top of Diamond Head with foreign tourists.
Sure, he got in some rounds of golf and got a private showing of Avatar, but he was there longer than me.
Where we really parted company, though, was at the zoo. President Obama took his family to see the exotic animals at the Honolulu Zoo. I don’t even know where it is.
Then again, I did see some pretty wild animals wandering around Ala Moana Boulevard on New Year’s eve, so I guess that qualifies.
The best part of the deal, though, was all the attention that the President attracted. With everyone interested in trying to get a glimpse of the Commander-in-Chief, no one noticed when I took off my shirt.
Thanks, Mr. President.
