The Time Obama Said He Would Sacrifice All – Sleep, Family Life, Vacations – To Be POTUS

Every Obama statement has an expiration date, and this one ended on January 20, 2009.

During an interview with New York Times columnist Bob Herbert at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in 2006, then Senator Barack Obama laid it on thick, declaring that he was prepared to sacrifice all – sleep, family life, vacations etc – to serve the American people. 

“If you seek that office,” Obama said, “then you have to be prepared to give your life to it. Essentially the bargain that I think any president strikes with the American people is – you give me this office, and in turn, my fears, doubts, insecurities, foibles, need for sleep, family life, vacations, leisure – is gone!” He added, “I am giving myself to you, and the American people should have no patience for whatever’s going through your head because you’ve got a job to do. You don’t make that decision unless you’re willing to make that sacrifice, that trade-off, that bargain.” 

Asked by Herbert if he could imagine himself at some point making that kind of commitment, Obama answered without hesitation, “sure,” as the audience broke into enthusiastic applause.

Obama arrived in Martha’s Vineyard Saturday for his fifth vacation there as president.

President Obama is giving the metaphorical finger to critics of his excessive use of the golf course, playing for the second time Sunday in two days on Martha’s Vineyard.

In fact, the president as of Sunday evening had spent 33 percent of his time – we’re including sleep, meals, bathroom visits, and so forth – on the golf course, playing for roughly 10 of 30 hours since landing midday Saturday.

Obama was on the golf course for five hours, Sunday – while diplomatic staff were being evacuated from the US embassy in Baghdad as the Iraqi government battled to hold off the JV team known as ISIS.