What's right: President's decision on vacation nothing short of stuning

There are times when commentary doesn't have anything to do with policy or Republicans and Democrats.

There are times when a decision so stuns that it cannot pass without comment, and wonder.

So it is with President Barack Obama's decision to head to Martha's Vineyard for a two-week vacation and a fundraising trip while U.S. military personnel are conducting airstrikes in Iraq and tens of thousands of refugees are trapped on a mountainside facing slaughter because of their religion.

It is not about the golf. It is not about the fundraising -- although either of those alone is enough to raise an eyebrow or two.

It is about the message it sends and the attitude it reflects.

It is, in a word, shocking.

Yes, it is true that in this modern world, the president is only an email away or a cell phone call from the Oval Office. He could be back at the White House via Air Force One or Marine One in under an hour.

But that doesn't change the fact that a hour or so after discussing a potential act of genocide and the need for U.S. military to deliver airstrikes and food to the Middle East, the president was on the golf course with NFL player Ahmad Rashad, NBA player Ray Allen and Cyrus Walker, the cousin of White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.

It is hard to even say it, let alone imagine it.

The president's supporters will shrug off this decision, saying that Obama's critics are always looking for a reason to question his judgment.

They will say the president deserves a vacation and that he can conduct business from anywhere.

But what does it say about leadership? What does it say to our allies -- and more importantly -- how would history look upon it?

We think poorly.

This is no small action, and the crisis that this region is facing is nothing to take lightly. The unrest in Iraq, combined with the continuing problems in the Gaza Strip and the unstable regimes in Syria and Afghanistan, is a potential powder keg. And yes, all those events could affect the safety of this nation and its people.

But it is more than that. This is one of those moments, the ones that count.

There is the potential for tens of thousands of people to be eliminated in an attack by a group of militants that have been allowed to march across Iraq. We weren't there to stop them and we left an unprepared military to handle the fallout.

This is how world wars start, and how innocent people die.

This nation should be taking that responsibility seriously -- as should its president.

There is an often-forgotten requirement when you agree to take on the job of president.

For four years, or eight, if you choose, you do not get to have a normal life.

You might not get to go on that dream vacation -- and your children might miss seeing you as often as they might like.

There are no sick days or times when you can pass off decisions to an underling and head to the golf course.

It is the price you pay for the responsibility you take on.

There is a reason so many of those who have sat in the seat in the Oval Office have revered it. There is a story that Ronald Reagan would not enter the room without a coat and tie.

And there is a reason that presidents who face great challenges have the look of men who have a burden to carry.

There are U.S. forces in harm's way. That is what should matter now. There is a military action that is in progress that puts U.S. servicemen and women in peril.

This is not the time to "take off the suit." This is the time to show the American people that there is a leader in the house.

The president won't care what his trip looks like. He wouldn't have been on that helicopter this morning if he did.

But we should. We should expect more.

One wonders what some of history's great leaders who have guided their nations through times of peril would think of the president's decision.

What would former U.S. presidents Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy or Abraham Lincoln say?

How would British prime ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher comment on their ally's behavior?

We think they would be stunned, too.

And that, more than anything else, suggests that perhaps it is time to get a bit more serious about whom we choose to put into office the next time around.

There is a reason so few people choose to take on the mantle of president of the United States.

It is not an easy job -- and there are sacrifices.

And often, you end up, especially in your second term, as the man who can do no right, the victim of harsh critics whose only focus is to erase your legacy.

This is not a black or white thing -- no matter how often the pundits proclaim it so. It is a president thing. We demand accountability -- or we used to -- from those we entrust with guiding our nation.

This is one of those times.

Published in Editorials on August 9, 2014 11:05 PM