President Obama will make history as the first sitting president on a daytime talk show when he visits with the ladies of "The View." But he'll be missing out on another historic occasion -- the Boy Scouts' Jamboree marking the group's 100th anniversary, right in the president's backyard.
The Jamboree kicked off this week at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, where organizers had invited the president to speak to the 45,000 scouts in attendance. All three of Obama's predecessors have made it to one Jamboree while in office.
But the president will instead be traveling Wednesday to New York for a taping of the ABC show, as well as Democratic fundraisers and a stop in New Jersey. The talk show appearance comes as campaign season moves into full swing, but also amid efforts to cap the Gulf oil spill for good, contain the damage from an unprecedented leak of Afghanistan war documents and battle Arizona over its immigration law -- set to go into effect Thursday. Obama also has an out-of-town event planned for Friday in Detroit.
But while the Jamboree lasts until next Tuesday, the president is sending his regards via a videotaped message.
Boy Scouts of America spokesman Deron Smith said the organization knew Obama's invitation would hinge on his schedule and found out two months ago that he would not be able to attend.
"It just depends on his schedule," he said, adding that "there's always a spot" available for the president during the Jamboree. Obama also serves as honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America.
The White House said Tuesday that the fundraisers, not the TV appearance, prevented the president from attending.
"We were always going to be out of town that day," Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer told FoxNews.com in an e-mail. "It was never canceled."
Obama doesn't even know how to 'act like the president' of the most powerful country in the world.....he just knows how to ACT!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
My son was a scout at AP Hill when Pres H W Bush landed in the Air Force One chopper and he said it was quite a site to see. Bush 1 spoke for about 1/2 hour then took off back to the White house the whole round trip takes less than 2 hrs from the Presidents schedule. Obama has his priorities and they are trying to gain back some of the votes he's been losing for the last 20 months.
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