What Obama's Gulf of Mexico swim accomplished

The president took a dip to show the region's beaches are safe in the wake of the BP oil nightmare. Will tourists believe him?

President Obama, the first lady, and their daughter Sasha spent 27 hours in the Gulf.
(Image credit: Getty)

The Obamas spent a day in Panama City, Fla., this weekend to demonstrate to Americans that "beaches all along the Gulf Coast are clean, safe and open for business," despite the BP oil disaster. The president, first lady Michelle Obama, and their younger daughter, Sasha — Malia is at summer camp — played mini-golf, ate seafood, spotted porpoises in St. Andrew Bay, and took a dip in the water during the 27-hour trip. Will the first family's visit help bring tourists back, or was it too little, too late? (Watch a report about Obama's dip in the Gulf)

Obama's visit was a welcome shot in the arm: Whatever you think of President Obama's politics, say the editors of the Panama City News Herald, there's no denying that the first family's vacation on the Gulf Coast is "good for business." This "elevates our desirability as a vacation spot — if it's good enough for a president, it’s good enough for everyone — and "broadcasts to the nation that our beaches are clean and open."

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