Everyone Deserves a Vacation -- Even the President of the United States

Much is being made of President Obama's vacation on Martha's Vineyard this week. It is really outrageous that there are so many people angry that he is taking a vacation.

Just yesterday the president was briefed about Libya and had a meeting with his National Security Council to discuss what will happen next there.

The president was also briefed on Hurricane Irene and then he had a phone call to Warren Buffet of Berkshire Hathaway and the CEO of Ford Motor Company.

These calls are all in the service of the president's job plan -- something that's due to be announced when America is paying attention, i.e.: after Labor Day.

But seriously, this is a president that is on vacation? Sounds like a pretty busy presidential schedule to me.

Even if the president was at the White House this week what would he do? Congress is not in town and the non-partisan group No Labels found that only forty percent of Congress (including Democrats and Republicans) have scheduled town hall meetings during the August Recess.

This is not the presidency of Presidents Reagan or Kennedy.

We do not complain that the president is out of touch when he is traveling to India or Africa. Everyone knows that even on Air Force One the president remains in touch.

What makes me even more curious about all the griping is the flip side.-- How come we are not hearing phrases like this, "where is Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Boehner?" Are they developing a jobs plan with their August recess or are they planning how many seats they can take in the 2012 elections?

Why haven't we been hearing reports mentioning that by this time in his Presidency George W. Bush had taken three times the amount of vacation days away from the White House. Why was President Bush's cutting of brush on his farm acceptable but not President Obama playing golf?

There has been a double standard on the right. It is not fair to a president who remains president 24/7. Everyone deserves and needs to spend time replenishing their batteries, yes, even the president of the United States.

Ellen Ratner is Washington bureau chief for Talk Radio News Service and a Fox News contributor.