July 26, 2009

The high cost of the simple life

By Rosslyn Smith
The First Family will be vacationing on a 'sprawling gentleman's farm' on Martha's Vineyard in August.  Unlike the Clintons, who were often the guests of those who owned estates there things are different with President Obama.  According to Mark Silva of the Chicago Tribune This is strictly business, for both renter and owner: Mollie Van Devender contributed money to Republican Fred Thompson's presidential campaign. Her husband, a timber magnate, "maxed out'' in contributions to both Thompson and Sen. John McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential nomineeThe Vineyard Gazette reports that it is probably a lucrative business, too.  While the mechanics of renting the property were still ongoing at press time, the Gazette has learned that a rental agreement for the farm will comprise three leases, one to be held by the Obamas, another by the Secret Service and a third by a White House entourage.The amount of the rental has not been disclosed, but...(Read Full Article)