Yes, Bush is on vacation... for the 49th time. I pay taxes so this guy can have a salary? He doesn't even work!
President Bush is getting the kind of break most Americans can only dream of: nearly five weeks away from the office, loaded with vacation time.
The president departed yesterday for his longest stretch yet away from the White House, arriving at his Crawford ranch in the evening for a round of clearing brush, visiting with family and friends, and tending to some outside-the-Beltway politics. It is the longest presidential retreat in at least 36 years.
The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and the 319th day that Bush has spent, entirely or partially, in Crawford — nearly 20 percent of his presidency to date, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio reporter known for keeping better records of the president's travel than the White House itself. Weekends and holidays at Camp David or at his parents' compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, bump up the proportion of Bush's time away from Washington even further.
Bush always claims these are "working vacations". So does that mean that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue is Bush's actual vacation home?
Here's your open thread. What's new in your world? Vacation? Work? News?
If only he couldn't do any additional damage while he's on holiday.
Posted by: Meteor Blades | August 03, 2005 at 12:59
5 weeks of vacation... let's see. That means he'll be back at his actual vacation home (the White House) just in time to "celebrate" his most useful "holiday", September 11.
Posted by: Plutonium Page | August 03, 2005 at 13:01
That's our leader! Setting the example for all hardworking Americans. SO next time your boss gives you a hard time about that miserable 1 week vacation, let him know about the example our president sets for our country.
After all, bein' president is "hard work" and all.
Posted by: viget | August 03, 2005 at 13:28
Behold George W, the Great American Hero: a man who hates his job, and lets everybody know it -- in front of the owners.
Posted by: RonK, Seattle | August 03, 2005 at 13:29
I've never been to Crawford, but I've been to Kennebunkport. He'd rather be in Crawford in August?
He's nuts.
Posted by: DemFromCT | August 03, 2005 at 13:33
I wonder if Bush would cut back on the vacations if we pointed out that only the French take 5 week vacations.
Or are they our friends, now?
Posted by: emptywheel | August 03, 2005 at 13:39
Blogger's dilemma.
So I'm gearing up for my own non-vacation 4 week trip in a few weeks. I'll touch down in 6 cities in 5 countries and go from west to east hemisphere and north to south and then back again.
But I'm wondering what to do with all my nice Plame Affair goodies I've been collecting? I've already got to lug big books for the 3 major countries. I plan to read some PDF materials on the flights. But how much of my Plame stuff do I bring? This whole thing might go down while I'm travelling, so I definitely need some of my things. But how to do it without a small army of porters? And if I bring all this, how will I get the niece and nephews souvenirs?
And George Bush thinks he's got hard work clearing brush.
Posted by: emptywheel | August 03, 2005 at 13:47
Arlo Guthrie on Reagan, who they say was sleeping during the "whole plane thing":
"I think it's good to have a sleeping president! That's not a bad idea. The more he sleeps the safer we are!"
Reagan's planes may be Bush's Plames.
which brings me to... emptywheel: make copies & mail a thick packet to yourself in each city? Or are we talking fileboxes-full?
Posted by: emptypockets | August 03, 2005 at 15:06
'pockets
I just expanded into my second binder.
Plus, some of the cities I'm headed to ... I'm not sure they've got the best mail services. No doubt we made them privatize their mail services so they could join WTO or something.
Posted by: emptywheel | August 03, 2005 at 15:23
As much as I hate to say it, nobody cares whether GW takes 5 weeks or five months off. His approval rating is in the toilet...the only ones left supporting him are the hard-core fundamentalists anyway. But we did elect him and now we are seeing the results....
Posted by: Dennis | August 03, 2005 at 16:36
Primarily to DemfromCT--
I talked about this in a comment to the Sichuan pig illness diary on dkos, but the more I read from other (not official, per se) sources, the more I am convinced that China is hiding a lot here. Why isn't anyone besides WHO demanding more transparency and lab samples from this outbreak? A new AP piece picked up by WaPo today quotes several S. suis experts expressing major doubts that this is due to a bacterial infection. It would be nice if we had someone from HHS or CDC publicly asking for more info from the Chinese....
Posted by: viget | August 03, 2005 at 21:12
emptywheel, your French vacation snark has just about destroyed my funnybone.
Posted by: Meteor Blades | August 03, 2005 at 22:51
As a ranch person I can assure you the branch in the pres' left hand is oversize for 'brush', tho such may grow large in TX, like grasshoppers, larger than life. And the short sleeves are a give away; this is a brief moment of labor instead of brush clearing; however, maybe it is a gen-X approach. Protective gear customs change from generation to generation. For all that, if the reporter was snapping my photo while I stack a brush burnpile I might look a little exertational, like the pres does. Now if he would let the US Forest Service hire brush clearing crews instead of simply selling off more of the national commons to logging companies in the name of relaxing the too-tough ESA rules, he would be on a better track. I hope he returns refreshed from his outdoor endeavors. Does the body and soul good.
Posted by: John Lopresti | August 04, 2005 at 02:29
The phantom scribbler links to a post from effect measure about avian flu. She says that she wrote to Senator Kennedy's office asking him to back Obama's Avian flu act so that it could get out of committee, and that she didn't even get an e-mail acknowledgment back. Is there any organized campaign on this?
Posted by: Bostoniangirl | August 05, 2005 at 03:41
You all are idiots. I bet you look for aliens on the weekends too! Bush is one of the greatest presidents that ever lived. You all make lies up and get yourselves to believe them. Hey now some of you are saying that he was involved in blowing up the world trade centers to start the war. That shows just how much of an idiot some of you are. Your party was once a respectable party, and now it is run by a cult like mentality. I remember when I could change my vote for a democratic candidate and now I fear if I do we’ll all be drinking Kool-Aid waiting for the next spaceship to take us away if one of you is elected. Do yourselves a favor and get rid of the wackos that are currently leading your party. Some of your leaders are know drunks, and have caused the death of others by there own hands and have never been charged because of their families, and they think they have the right to point fingers at GW. (Chappaquiddick)
Posted by: Ralph | March 31, 2006 at 16:38
Great Pres. bush ..after handling a big position you ought to have a break,,...Enjoy your vacation....
Posted by: Juno888 | May 16, 2007 at 02:01