By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer  

A group called Asian Americans for Obama sent out a media alert yesterday with the headline, "BREAKING: Hawai'i is a State," as U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka and others defended U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's decision to spend a weeklong vacation in the Islands.

Obama had another casual day yesterday: Visit his grandmother at her Makiki apartment again, watch a movie at the Ward Complex theaters and go to dinner. But his choice of vacation destinations - his hometown of Honolulu - prompted ABC News' Cokie Roberts to twice call Hawai'i a "foreign" and "exotic" vacation destination for the man who wants to be president.

"I know his grandmother lives in Hawai'i," Roberts said on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos. "And I know Hawai'i is a state. But it has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place. He should be in Myrtle Beach if he's going to take a vacation at this time."

The folks at MyrtleBeach Golf.com ate it up.

"Yes, Obama can't help but look like a high-flying elitist by spending his vacation in Hawai'i, regardless of the fact that he was born there and that his grandmother lives there. And the fact that, you know, Hawai'i is one of the 50 states," wrote Myrtle BeachGolf.com blogger William K. Wolfrum. " ... And while they are making arrangements to send Sen. Obama to Myrtle Beach, they need to get him to switch sports. Basketball is for elites, after all. Real Americans, and real American Presidents play golf. In Myrtle Beach."

But Akaka didn't see any humor in Roberts' comments.

"Saying our 50th state is somehow 'foreign,' does a great disservice to the hardworking, patriotic Americans who call Hawai'i home," Akaka said. "For months, people have been asking me, 'When is Sen. Obama going to come home?' I'm so glad he found time to visit his sister and his grandmother, and for him and his family to bond and recharge in his home state. Hawai'i is a great U.S. destination; just ask the 5.5 million Americans who visited last year for business and pleasure."

Facing Prejudice

Asian Americans for Obama added, "Aside from the general ridiculousness of casting aspersions on the 'American-ness' of Hawai'i, Ms. Roberts' criticism smacks of the worst prejudices faced by Asian-Americans. ... I'm sure if he had decided to go to the exclusive golfing resort of Myrtle Beach instead, the press would have dutifully reported how 'American' his vacation was and how 'regular' Americans could identify with such a lavish trip."

Akaka's press secretary, Jesse Broder Van Dyke, wants Roberts to see firsthand evidence of Hawai'i's history and its role in the country's future.

"I would love to take Ms. Roberts on a tour of O'ahu, with stops at the Arizona Memorial and Punchbowl, followed by a visit with Hawai'i Army National Guard soldiers training for their second deployment to the Middle East," he said. "Then I would take her to Eastside Grill to watch Team USA women's volleyball and Bryan Clay. I would introduce her to Hawai'i residents so she could witness our diversity and learn about the aloha spirit. Part of what makes America great is the unique contributions of all 50 states. Sen. Obama has every right to come home and visit his sister and grandmother."

But Ira Rohter, a University of Hawai'i associate professor of political science, sees an opportunity to come out of the flare-up between Roberts and Akaka.

"Cokie Roberts represents an old mentality that grew up in white America," Rohter said. "Our struggle as a people and as a country is to rise above these old stereotypes. She uses this cliche of Hawai'i, but we are a very complex society where we've learned to live together and move together in a positive way. Hawai'i is the prototype of how people can get along. Hawai'i is the prototype for the nation."

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