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Obama visits Gulf to show waters are clear after oil spill
Monday 16th August 2010, 9:27AM BST.
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Catching a glimpse of porpoises, President Barack Obama and his family went boating as part of a weekend trip to the Gulf of Mexico that was designed to showcase the region’s attractions as well as the president’s concern for those affected by the BP oil spill.
Joining Obama aboard the 50ft Bay Point Lady on a rainy, overcast morning were first lady Michelle Obama and daughter Sasha. The parents’ other daughter, Malia, is at summer camp.
The three leaned over the side of the boat to see the porpoises as the boat cruised the calm waters of St Andrews Bay near their Panama City Beach hotel.
Yesterday’s outing came as part of a 27-hour trip to the Florida Panhandle.
The White House scheduled the trip after facing criticism that Obama wasn’t heeding his own advice that Americans holiday in the Gulf. He visited North Carolina this spring, Maine earlier this summer, and will head to Martha’s Vineyard, off the Massachusetts coast, later this month. Mrs Obama also travelled to Spain this month with Sasha.
Although only 16 of the 180 beaches in the western part of the Florida Panhandle were affected by the spill, tourism officials say many potential visitors have stayed away, deterred by images of oil-slicked waters and tarball-strewn beaches in other parts of the region.
On Saturday, Obama took Sasha for a swim in St Andrews Bay, a signal to other would-be Gulf holidaymakers that the water and the beaches are fine.
“Beaches all along the Gulf Coast are clean, they are safe, and they are open for business,” Obama said.
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