President Barack Obama starts his two-week vacation at Martha's Vineyard. Though Obama's vacation differs slightly from George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, it is light years distant from earlier presidents. Because the heat made the nation's capital insufferable, presidents--and cabinet members--fled to cooler climes. In 1885 Grover Cleveland disappeared into the wilds of the Adirondacks. He fished and hunted by day, and at night he and his friends drank themselves to sleep. A reporter from New York Times was dispatched to find the President. Which he did and got a friendly reception from Cleveland.
Back in Washington, one member of the cabinet remained to deal with government business.
Protected by oceans, presidents could snozze the summers away from Washington. Calvin Coolidge transferred the Oval Office to the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1927. He set up shop at a high school in Rapid City where he went in the mornings. Then he was free to fish or take naps at higher elevations.
When George W. Bush left for a month in 2001, some eyebrows were raised. Like Ronald Reagan, Bush liked being down-on the ranch. True, he would face widespread criticism when Hurricane Katrina roared through the Gulf Coast when Bush seemed clueless. But he probably would have been or seemed clueless wherever he was.
But does it really matter if a President is away from Washington? What matters most is whether the President remains fit to do his or her job. Obama is working harder this August than most of his predecessors. With his health care plans in jeopardy and his party facing raucous opposition in town hall meetings, shorter vacations make more sense. These days, a politically healthy president spends more time in Washington.
Well, blame it all on air conditioning which made summers in Washington tolerable.

Update on Paperback

Since April, The Games Presidents Play, Sports and the Presidency, has come out in paperback. The price, $19.95, and the cover are especially attractive. You can get the paperback by contacting Johns Hopkins University Press, 410-516-6900 (ask for the Fulfillment Department) or order it through your bookstore or online. I am keeping a file on Barack Obama and hope I can publish more on him later. In the meantime, I will be updating my blog by connecting Obama's sports activities with those of other presidents.

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog! I've set this up to keep you up-to-date on my books and related activities. I welcome queries concerning possible appearances and opportunities to serve as a resource for journalists and authors. I'd also like to hear from you with any questions or comments about American Football, Spectacle, Controversy and The Games Presidents Play, Sports and the Presidency (both published by Johns Hopkins University Press). Or if you just want to get in touch with me. Though I'm on the faculty at James Madison University, I live in Charlottesville, Virginia. I also have written on American Revolutionary history (Thomas Burke, Restless Revolutionary) and on Watterson family history (the descendants of William and Ann who settled near Cleveland, OH in 1827).