Vacation One

When Presidents Pretend to Take a Break

President Obama has decided not to take his usual summer vacation at Martha’s Vineyard this year. He is apparently bowing to political concerns that he would look like a self-indulgent elitist if he went on holiday at a playground for the rich and famous while millions of Americans were suffering economic hardship and high unemployment.

It’s a familiar story.

Presidents have been sensitive about their vacation habits from the start of the republic. They struggle for years to get to the White House and then, once they get there, they seem desperate …