From Michelle Malkin:

Michelle Obama visited the Gulf coast today, and suggested that Americans who are planning vacations this summer consider taking them in the Gulf region as a sign of economic solidarity with those impacted by the oil spill.

From ABC’s Jake Tapper:

On her first trip to the Gulf Coast since the BP oil spill, First Lady Michelle Obama encouraged Americans to consider vacationing on the region’s beaches that have not been directly impacted by oil.

“It is vacation time. Folks are looking for things to do with their kids, and this would be a great opportunity to do a few things — help this community, send a different message about the extent of the spill, and also think long term about how the rest of the country can help this economy and the folks down here,” Mrs. Obama said at the Panama City Welcome Center.

If you want to ask the Obamas why it’s so important that you take your vacation this year in the Gulf region, feel free to track them down this weekend while they’re on vacation… in Maine:

President Obama and the first family are planning a short vacation in Maine this weekend, traveling Down East on Friday for three days on Mt. Desert Island, the home of Acadia National Park, according to the office of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, Democrat of Maine.

The Obamas will arrive Friday and stay through Sunday, Pingree said in a statement.

“What an honor that the Obama family has chosen Maine for vacation when they could have gone anywhere in the country,” said Pingree.

Well, not anywhere — it’s just that in Maine there aren’t any tar balls for a thousand miles so daddy can safely brag that he has in fact plugged the hole.

If the First Lady is actually interested in helping the Gulf economy, forget about where they’re vacationing — she might consider convincing her husband to stop pursuing a drilling moratorium that is driving oil rigs, and the direct and ancillary jobs they provide, to other countries.

Related posts:

1. The Gulf Recovery Obama Does Not Want to See
2. Obamas to begin sixth vacation of the year
3. Obama’s Dog Flies to Vacation on Separate Jet
4. Obama to Gulf: Oil Ban Stays
5. Michelle Obama: Spoiled Brat Extraordinaire
6. Barack Obama’s Hawaii vacation costs at least $1.5 million
7. Is President Obama Trying To Kill The Gulf State Economies?
8. As Gulf of Mexico oil disaster wears on, blame is finding its way to the White House
9. Obamacare: The Maine Experiment
10. Deep-Water Drilling Permits Down 88% in Gulf Since Obama Lifted Moratorium