President Obama has visited the Navy-run presidential retreat Camp
David in central Maryland only 32 times, but it is being kept open
during the government shutdown for his entertainment and security at the
same time the Pentagon is cutting sports coverage to hundreds of
thousands of troops around the world.
A phone call to the retreat found it open, confirming a TMZ report.
Camp David is one of the most highly secure areas in the nation and
provides the president with a safe haven. The president has been known
to shoot skeet at Camp David, which he most recently used for his 52nd
birthday, according to CBS White House Correspondent Mark Knoller.
Obama has spent just 78 days at the retreat, choosing instead to
spend his weekends in Washington and hitting military golf courses,
which are also being kept open during the government shutdown.
In the meantime, overseas troops who typically look forward to watching NFL games and the baseball playoffs provided by the American Forces Network, will get little if any service due to the shutdown. A notice on the AFN page reads:
“GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN. Due to the government shutdown, the Defense
Department can only provide limited overseas television, radio, print
and web services.”
The virtual elimination of sports coverage was noticed by the New England Sports Network,
co-owned by the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. “AFN provides a form
of escape for many troops stationed around the world. Let's hope the
popular station gets back on the air soon,” they reported.
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