Nero fiddles…

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (AP) — President Barack Obama is spending a long Father’s Day weekend in the California desert oasis of Rancho Mirage.

The president and first lady arrived at the Palm Springs airport Friday night after visiting an Indian reservation earlier in the day.

President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, are greeted on the tarmac by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., second from left, and her husband Stewart Boxer, left, as they arrive on Friday, June 13, 2014, in Palm Springs, Calif.

They are staying with White House decorator Michael Smith and his partner, U.S. Ambassador to Spain James Costos, at their vacation home.

Obama plans to take a short flight to Orange County on Saturday to raise money for the Democratic National Committee at a closed-door event at a private home. Then he’s scheduled to deliver the commencement address at the University of California, Irvine.

Aides also say he’ll be in frequent contact with his national security team for updates on the violence in Iraq  (link)

A new New York Times article paints a picture of the Iraqi government in crisis, appealing for the US for help, threatening Iran will fill the gap if they refuse.  (link)

“If you’re in an antique shop there’s a sign, ‘If you broke it, you bought it,’  ” the official, who is an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, said. “I am not saying the Americans are responsible for everything, but they did not leave a well-trained army and they left us without any real air support, and the Obama administration really shares much of the blame.”

The Maliki adviser said that the Iraqi government wanted air support and intelligence sharing in particular from the United States. So far, the adviser said, he was not aware of any direct Iranian role in Iraq, nor the presence of any Iranian units on Iraqi territory. “What changes this is if the U.S. does not help, Iran will come in and this is really dangerous,” he said. “If they don’t help I don’t think Iran will let the Iraqi government collapse, they will fight and fight very hard.”