Obama's vacation laced with business

OAK BLUFFS, Mass., Aug. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama may have been on vacation at Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, but locals said presidential sightings were few and far between.

Golf outings, biking and beachcombing in Oak Bluffs, Mass., were interspersed with reappointing Ben Bernanke as head of the Federal Reserve and writing a eulogy for his friend, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who died Tuesday of brain cancer at age 77.

Presidential aides told Politico Obama may end his vacation a day early because Tropical Storm Danny is churning in the Atlantic Ocean.

"I just sense a disappointment. Everyone was so excited to see him and there is all this space between him and the crowd," said Nancy Shai, who owns Vineyard Jewelry in nearby Edgartown, Mass. "But I don't know what people expect -- he has kids with him, his wife, and to be part of the regular crowd, I don't know how safe that is."

Paul Daniele, who lives in Edgartown, said Obama's visits to Martha's Vineyard aren't anything new.

"He hasn't been in public as much but he is doing what he wants. He's been coming here for 10 years and a lot of people do just want to relax," Daniele said.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said Obama was working with his speechwriting team on a "very personal statement" for Kennedy's eulogy on Saturday. He was to fly to Boston Friday night for the funeral and return to the island later Saturday, weather permitting.

Obama is to travel to Camp David Wednesday and stay there until Sunday, Burton said.