HONOLULU, HAWAII - Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) expressed disappointment over comments made by ABC TV and National Public Radio (NPR) newswoman Cokie Roberts suggesting that the state of Hawaii is an inappropriate place for Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) to visit because it is "some sort of foreign, exotic place."

"Saying our 50th state is somehow ‘foreign,' does a great disservice to the hard working, patriotic Americans who call Hawaii home," said Akaka.  "For months people have been asking me, 'When is Senator Obama going to come home?'  I'm so glad he found time to visit his sister and his grandmother, show his daughters more of his home state, and relax a little." 

Roberts criticized the Obama family trip to Hawaii on the August 10 edition of ABC's This Week, a Sunday morning political talk show, saying that the Hawaii-born Illinois Senator's vacation "has the look of him going off to some sort of foreign, exotic place."  She repeated her complaint on NPR's Morning Edition, the next day saying that Obama's presence in Hawaii, "makes him seem a little bit more exotic than perhaps he would want to come across as at this stage in the presidential campaign."

Akaka said Roberts' characterization of the state of Hawaii as a "foreign, exotic place," is misguided.  "Hawaii is a great U.S. destination, just ask the 5.5 million Americans who visited last year for business and pleasure," said Akaka.

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