EDGARTOWN, Mass. (AP) — President Barack Obama enjoyed some beach time Sunday with his family on Martha's Vineyard, though not before getting briefed on developments in Libya.
Under sunny skies, Obama, wife Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha spent the morning on a private beach in Edgartown. The outing came on the third full day of Obama's 10-day summer vacation and was his first excursion with his full family in tow.
First, though, Obama was briefed by national security aides on developments in Libya, where rebels advanced on Tripoli, threatening Moammar Gadhafi's hold on power. White House aides have been at pains to show Obama is carrying out his duties as president even while on vacation amid international unrest, a shaky economy and high joblessness.
Obama also appeared on CBS News in an interview taped during his bus tour of the Midwest last week. He said he understood his low standing in the polls of late given public dissatisfaction with Washington and the poor economy. And he said he expected to be judged on the economy in next year's presidential election.
"You've got an unemployment rate that is still too high, an economy that's not growing fast enough," he said. "And for me to argue, look, we've actually made the right decisions, things would have been much worse has we not made those decisions — that's not that satisfying if you don't have a job right now. And I understand that and I expect to be judged a year from now on whether or not things have continued to get better."
The president is scheduled to return to Washington next Saturday.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.