Obama wraps up short Gulf trip, ready to hit road for fundraising

President Obama wrapped his visit to the Gulf Coast on Sunday and headed back to Washington, where he’ll spend only a few hours before getting back on the road.

Obama has a busy fundraising travel schedule next week that takes him across the country. He starts off in Milwaukee on Monday, where he’ll headline events for Democrat Tom Barrett, who’s running for governor, and the Wisconsin Democratic Party.

Barrett was the White House’s hand-picked candidate to replace the retiring Gov. Jim Doyle (D). Polls show him in a tough race. Obama later on Monday will be in Los Angeles to raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.   

On Tuesday the president will travel to Seattle, where he will headline events for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.). 

Obama goes back to Ohio on Wednesday for another speech on the economy and to headline a fundraiser for Gov. Ted Strickland (D) and the Ohio Democratic Party. Afterward, he’ll fly south to Miami for an event benefiting the Florida Democratic Party.

The first family then leaves for a weeklong vacation on Martha’s Vineyard, the exclusive island off the coast of Cape Cod. Much of his trip to the Gulf this weekend seemed to be aimed at muting any criticism the president would get for vacationing in Massachusetts while telling Americans to return to the Gulf.

While some might say his latest visit to Florida lasted only about 24 hours, the first family certainly wasn’t shy about exploring Panama City Beach. On Saturday, Obama swam privately with daughter Sasha in Saint Andrew Bay, which was captured by a White House photographer and released to the press. On Sunday, he was out on the water again, this time taking a short boat cruise that also included wife Michelle.

On their way to the airport Sunday afternoon, the motorcade stopped for a final ice cream run. It seem to have caused more of a stir than the first family’s other outings. Waitresses from the nearby Hooters came rushing out in their orange shorts to get a glimpse of the Obamas, but were kept at bay by Secret Service, according to the pool report.

After ordering a cup of mint chocolate chip from Bruster's ice cream stand, Obama offered to buy a round for the reporters accompanying him. For a visit that has been as much about a vacation as a photo-op, it was a symbolic gesture. There weren’t any takers.