Just A Quick Rant From Paradise

I'm sitting in my condo in Maui, from whose lanai I can see the ocean. From our pool, I can see the islands of Lanai, Molokai and Oahu in the far distance. The beach could be better - some seaweed and rocks - but I'm not complaining, as within a mile's drive (or walk) are some phenomenal, clean, sandy beaches. Life is good.

So I have little about which to complain. But I will say that this morning, I caught a snippet on the news about President Obama being in Ghana, with his children. They showed a clip of him saying how important it was for his children to be there, what a great educational experience that was for them.

Great. Having paid for a romantic Valentine's Day weekend with the missus in Sweet Home Chicago, then a Broadway Show in New York that he purportedly promised her while on the campaign trail - apparently the first campaign promise he's kept - now we, the humble taxpayer (which disqualifies us from his cabinet, by the way) get to pay for a family trip to Ghana so the kiddoes can get in touch with their African heritage.

The news bit I was watching then attempted to cut to a speech he reportedly gave before the Ghanan version of our Congress. But instead, we were treated to a repeat of the clip of him saying what an important trip it was for his daughters.

Which begs the question: did he even speak before the Ghanan lawmakers? Or was he absent from their proceedings, as he usually was during his all-too-brief tenure as a US Senator?

I do hope his daughters learned a great deal from their experience. The plight of many in Africa is deplorable. And I hope they learn enough to ask Daddy some questions. Such as, "Daddy, are you going to do something about the holocaust in Darfur?" Or, "Daddy, do you plan to continue providing aid to sub-Saharan Africa to fight AIDS, like your mean old predecessor, George Bush? Or is that one of 'the failed policies of the last eight years' that you mention every other sentence?"

Or, "Daddy, can we go see great-Grandma this trip? Or do we simply not have enough time, like your last visit here?"