First family departs for 10-day vacation

Associated Press

WEST TISBURY, Mass

President Barack Obama ditched the Beltway grind Thursday to seek the pleasures of summer on the beaches of Martha’s Vineyard, his leisure time competing with a stock-market plunge, fears of global recession and restless voters demanding jobs.

The president arrived on this wealthy Massachusetts island retreat Thursday afternoon, where he was joining first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters, Sasha and Malia. They are to spend 10 days in a rented compound.

The departure came after a busy morning in which the president called for Syrian President Bashar Assad to step down and imposed sanctions on the beleaguered Mideast regime. He then met with members of his economic team, which is preparing a jobs package that the president intends to announce shortly after Labor Day.

Obama departed Thursday afternoon wearing business attire that belied his resort destination. Obama was traveling with a handful of aides, including his counterterrorism chief, John Brennan.