[maggief]

How big is his entourage?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/27/us/politics/27memo.html

Mr. Obama has no relatives remaining in Hawaii since his grandmother died last year and his sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, moved to Washington this year. But he has brought his family here nearly every Christmas since he and his wife, Michelle, had their daughters, Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8. This year, Mr. Obama brought his sister and close friends Eric Whitaker and Marty Nesbitt and their spouses.

Valerie Jarrett, another friend who now serves as a senior White House adviser, also joined the relatives and friends staying in two neighboring rental houses in Kailua. Ms. Jarrett said the setting had a rejuvenating effect on Mr. Obama. “His visits allow him to reconnect with his roots and cherished childhood memories,” she said.

[ladyvet]

Free Republic mentioned in The NYT... The center, which is closely aligned with the Obama White House, voiced no complaint about the current president’s vacation. But the conservative Web site Free Republic did. While Americans “are still caught in the grips of the recession,” a posting on the site said last week, “Obama is living like a king with no criticism from the mainstream media.”

[mojitojoe]

“His visits allow him to reconnect with his roots and cherished childhood memories,” she said.
_____________
So he is in Kenya?

[madison10]

“His visits allow him to reconnect with his roots and cherished childhood memories,” she said.

Must have a mighty long extension cord on those "roots."