My comment seemed to be a little too subtle. Let me lay it out:

Our willingness to shame this guy (and other guys, by extension) for spending time with his family reflects our willingness to shame women for taking the same time off.

Our acceptance that he should put work over his family forces SOMEONE to put his family over THEIR work. In a male-female marriage (yes, I know he is gay), this means that men should work and women should stay at home. This attitude contributes to the gender pay divide and stereotypes that men shouldn't be great fathers.

It hurts our wives and our strength as husbands and fathers.

I didn't get appointed by the President to a Secretary position overseeing government resources.

I work at a tech company. I have responsibilities that I actually care about, and they are important to me and many others, so I could not possibly just disappear for 2 months. I can barely take a weekend off without feeling guilty.

It's not about why he wasn't there... it's that he wasn't there, for any reason. It shows that he doesn't care, and the people who picked him and allowed that to happen, also don't care.

Many people manage to spend time with their family and respond to work emergencies. They don't get paid as much or as much media attention, tho. So they don't really count.

It's more the abdication of critical gov't leadership during a global shipping crisis that people are unhappy with.