[BushCountry]

I think the trip is to bribe his staff with some "well-earned" (in his esteem opinion) R & R on the taxpayer's dime, nothing more, nothing less.

[FrankR]

Hawaii would have been a lot cheaper, and it IS still the US, and it would keep the money in the USA.

I don't think barack obama gives a tinkers damn about his "staff", other than he thinks he's royalty and he's taking them along to serve his every whim.

This is an unprecedented, over-the-top, ill-timed, and needless trip to a country where there is nothing to warrant such an expenditure of time, effort and money.