If all goes as planned, President Bush next week will break Ronald Reagan’s all-time high for most presidential vacation days.
According to the Washington Post, with three and a half years left in his second term, Bush had already spent 319 days in Crawford -– almost 20% of his time in office — upon arriving at the so-called Western White House last week. Reagan, another president famous for his ranching retreats, spent 335 days on vacation spread across eight years.
So, assuming he doesn't cut his vacation short, Bush will break Reagan's record on Aug. 19.
This probably is not as big a record as say, breaking Hank Aaron's all-time home run record. And it's certainly not as newsworthy as say, bringing Osama bin Laden to justice.
Still, the White House is trying to spin the vacation as a busy time for the president. Why? In a recent article, The Houston Chronicle offered this insight: "White House officials are touchy about criticism of Bush's traditional August break, because most Americans don't get five weeks of vacation a year, nor do they have access to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where Bush sometimes spends weekends. So they call the ranch the Western White House."
It doesn't help matters when television news — objective or partisan — show images of Bush cutting tree stumps, biking or golfing. There will be images of Bush having sweat-laden meetings with Condoleeza Rice and Donald Rumsfeld, too. Anyone who has ever taken a "working vacation" knows how these things work: there's always time for a good, long round of golf.
***
Why the long vacation? The Guardian speculates that it's because of the continued drumbeat from Democrats regarding the ongoing investigation into White House leaks of CIA operative Valerie Plame's name or identity. That investigation has apparently centered on senior White House officials Karl Rove — dubbed "Bush's Brain" — and Lewis "Scooter" Libby.
And this is an exceptionally long vacation. The Guardian reports that Bush's five-week vacation may be the longest retreat in at least 36 years. By comparison, the president spent 27 days at his ranch in August 2001, another 27 days in August 2002, and 29 days in August 2003, and 14 days in August 2004.
***
This article first appeared at Journalists Against Bush's B.S.
.jpg?t=20120209092158)
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Aaman
Moving to politics, as apart from vacation time, a cultural artifact, this is purely a political piece.
2 - billy
like i always say, osama doesnt take vacations, why does bush?
3 - Aaman
One works harder, the other hardly works, perhaps?
4 - Kurt
Bush is just a sock puppet, anyway; the real decision-makers are still hard at work. Our poor little world would be better off if we could convince Condie, Dick, Donald, and Karl to stay in Crawford for the rest of W's term.
5 - Nancy
Hmmm...who else do we know liked to retreat to a bunker when beleagured?
6 - Dave Nalle
Good lord, who cares? This is the 21st century. Do you think there's anything he can do in the White House that he can't do just as effectively from his ranch? Welcome to the era of mobile communications, folks.
dave
7 - Aaman
The tin-can approach works well
8 - Nancy
In that respect, Dave, you're right: w/modern communications, there's no reason for him/her to be in town anymore. However, I suspect another reason is that embedded in his own house, he is MUCH less available to the public & the media, & lord knows who else in the horde of power-junkie wannabe groupies.
9 - Dave Nalle
Given his job, I have to sympathize with him wanting to be a little less accessible and chop down a few trees and haul some brush to calm his nerves. The government's not going to grind to a halt. On the other hand, living not far from where he is I have to say that wanting to be working the ranch in Texas in August is just a little crazy.
Dave
10 - Nancy
No offense, Dave, but given the temps down there recently, ANYBODY wanting to be in Texas for ANY reason is just a little crazy.
11 - David R. Mark
Dave -- the point is not that he's taking vacation days. The point is that he is taking a RECORD NUMBER of vacation days. He still has 3 1/2 years to go, and he's already establishing a new record.
12 - David R. Mark
Thanks, Aaman -- sorry for any confusion.
13 - Dave Nalle
>>No offense, Dave, but given the temps down there recently, ANYBODY wanting to be in Texas for ANY reason is just a little crazy.<<
We're all just waiting for the coming Ice Age when the rest of you willl be flooding down here begging us to take you in.
Interestingly we've been having an unusually cool, wet summer - third year in a row, in fact. Global warming, where is thy sting?
That said, it's still pushing 100 most days and humid as hell.
Dave
14 - JR
I'm thankful for every minute that bozo spends off the job.
Can we just give him the title of President? It seems to be all he really cares about.
15 - Nancy
It's the humidity that kills. I love it - as rain or snow. But suspended in the air like this, it's too thick to breathe, and not opaque enough to wear.
16 - Tan The Man
Fun stuff...
17 - dietdoc
David:
"having sweat-laden"
Is there is relations to "Bin Laden?"
Cheers,
Ron
18 - David R. Mark
Ron:
???
David
19 - bruce
Now if we could keep the entire govt on vacation for 11 months of the year...
Hmmmmm, what a thought!
Bruce
20 - dietdoc
David, sorry. A dyslexic attempt at humor. Should have read:
"Is there any relation to bin Laden?"
[Get it? "sweat-laden", "bin Laden."?]
Sorry to clutter the thread.
Cheers,
Ron
21 - Mel
This "issue" is pure garbage, as anybody with an IQ above that of a walnut realizes. But please do keep it up, because the electorate moves further away from you "issue" by "issue". It's called the "MoveOn Effect".
22 - billy
yeah sure mel, thats why the gop could barely win in the most republican district in the country last week.
23 - David R. Mark
It's so easy for the Mels of the world to dismiss anyone questioning anything regarding the Bush Administration. ...
24 - RC
Lol yeah Bush loves his vacation. If I was president, I know I would want a vacation, but how lnog I'm not sure. He probally doesnt care how long a vacation he takes now. He cant be voted in as president after this term, so he is soaking it up.
25 - Temple Stark
You forgot to put 'vacation' in quotes.
That pisses off partisan orcs when you don't. Wait, when you do. Wait when you don't.
Well, whatever's convenient.