KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii — President Barack Obama’s Christmas Day began with a briefing about a botched attack on an airliner en route to Detroit and ended with a visit to a dining hall for the military.
His holiday vacation was designed to be an island respite from the pressures of the White House.
But Obama’s military aide told the president about 9 a.m. local time about the incident aboard a plane as it was landing in Detroit. The president phoned his homeland security adviser and the chief of staff to the National Security Council for a briefing, and officials kept the president up to date during the day.
Obama and first lady Michelle Obama made a quick trip to Marine Corps Base Hawaii after a private day exchanging gifts and eating a holiday meal of roast beef.
Although the White House has said the president does not plan public events, the unannounced visit to troops — accompanied only by a few reporters and his Secret Service detail — was an opportunity for the wartime president to meet with those who have carried out his orders in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Wearing slacks and a casual shirt, the president made his way around the tables and booths and posed for pictures with the troops. They handed him cellphones so he could say hello to their parents.
The Obamas dined on roast beef, potatoes and traditional fare at a $9 million rental home, White House spokesman Bill Burton told reporters traveling with the president. He said the first couple didn’t exchange gifts with each other, although they did exchange gifts with their daughters, 11- year-old Malia and 8-year-old Sasha.
The Obamas planned their time as a low-key holiday away from the gridlock in Washington that has challenged the president’s first year in the White House. The president delayed his vacation for a day until the Senate passed a version of the health care reform bill Thursday.
