Bush poised to set vacationing record

[joeunderdog]

WACO, Texas -- President Bush is getting the kind of break most Americans can only dream of -- 33 days away from the office, loaded with vacation time.

Sign up for: Globe Headlines e-mail | Breaking News Alerts The president departed yesterday for his longest stretch away from the White House, arriving at his Crawford ranch in the evening for five weeks of clearing brush, visiting with family and friends, and tending to some outside-the-Beltway politics. By historical standards, 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 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's long vacations are more than a curiosity: They play into diametrically opposite arguments about this leadership style. To critics and late-night comics, they symbolize a lackadaisical approach to the world's most important day job, an impression bolstered by Bush's two-hour midday exercise sessions and his disinclination to work nights or weekends. The more vociferous among Bush's foes have noted that he spent a month at the ranch shortly before the 9/11 attacks, when critics assert he should have been more attentive to warning signs.

More about this ASSHOLE here:
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/08/03/bush_poised_to_set_vacationing_record/

[carnie_sf]

1. He should just

stay on vacation

[dkamin]

31. He can't of course

It's hard work chopping wood. It's hard.

[Hardrada]

2. He doesn't work even when he is "working."

He travels and schmoozes and acts (on the advice of others) out innumerable ways to endanger the planet and insult our intelligence and raise our blood pressure.

[saigon68]

3. He is just a Lap-Dog for President Cheney

And the rest of the NEOCONS

[VegasWolf]

4. Now watch this golf putt! nt

[yy4me]

5. Do you suppose

he "reads" while on vacation at the ranch, seeing he doesn't do anything like that while in Washington. Perhaps he uses all this down time to catch up on a newspaper or two. Might give him an idea of what the world really thinks of him. OR, maybe the newspapers are just kept in that little outbuilding out in the brush that is always being shown on TV. I know what those buildings used to be for, think they are updated for the "loafer-in-chief"?

[Arkansas Granny]

20. What do you suppose he reads?

The sequel to "My Pet Goat" maybe. Did you notice that the article mentions that he reads daily briefings? Too bad he didn't read them in 2001.

[rebecca_herman]

56. He reads

Picture books, of course.

[Hamlette]

6. this is perfect, he'll have to answer about the recent deaths in Iraq

from his vacation. There is some hope that hard working Americans will be repulsed by seeing the guy who sent these 21 marines to their deaths is on vacation...again.

Reminds me of the "vacation" scene in 9/11.

[Deja Q]

7. Well, at least Bush set a new record for the books...

Not a good one, mind you... Apparently it's okay to go vacationing so often in a war that's more pivotal to our society than WW II...

[54anickel]

14. Reminds me of the article about the troops wondering what sacrifices

are being made back home. Something about the US doesn't look or act like a nation at war. If it weren't for those yellow "support our troops" magnetic ribbons on cars you'd never know.

Where's the sacrifice, Shrub? Oh, that's right it's not a war anymore, it's a struggle G-SAVE. :eyes:

[Yogi]

8. A sorry excuse for a President.

At war time, none the less.....:sarcasm:

[leftchick]

9. so is there a western WH gaggle of reporters??

will they be asking him anytime soon about the marine deaths in Iraq? Not that he gives a shit or anything.

:grr:

[ovidsen]

19. There will be lots of reporters.

But will the Chimp talk with them? Well, maybe the Jeff Gannon clones among them, but otherwise, forget it. This part of the White House beat is detested by most of the herd. They sit around, watching dust devils and the occasional armadillo waiting for news to break out, and it almost never does. Of course, they could always slip over to Crawford and party! :sarcasm:

[VegasWolf]

10. I thought Brain said that we were in a War? nt

[TahitiNut]

11. Yeah... the sacrifice is "worth it."

:puke: Let him visit some Aztec ruins and 'star' a reenactment!

[cascadiance]

12. But! But! He's working while he's on vacation!!

He's always got his advisors near him, etc. so he's always on work anyway!!!

[OneTwentyoNine]

13. Hey damnit,Bush has BRUSH to clear!!!

The village idiot LIVES at that GD ranch which I hear isn't all that great anyway. So....33 days this time? Get ready for another attack just like in 2001.

[yy4me]

15. funny you should say that,

several of us have had the same horrid thought. If something did happen while his royal majesty was sunning himself at the ranch, do you think the rest of the nation would wake up and oust this idiot and his honchos or give him, hero that he is, another excuse to peddle his warped ideology?

[bushisanidiot]

16. When did he take a break from vacation to do any work?

all that idiot does is play with his toys until he goes to the next photo-op.

[bluedog]

17. Vacations past presidents

vacation days:...........Note date this was compiled:

Wednesday October 1, 2003

bush1 543 1 term


Reagan 335 2 term


Carter 79 1 term



Clinton 152...2 term.............. What about Clinton? As of December 1999, President Bill Clinton had spent only 152 days on holiday during his two terms, according to CBS News. A former staffer noted Clinton was such a workaholic that "it almost killed Clinton to take one-week vacations during August." In 2000, Clinton cut his summer vacation short to just three days, so he and his wife could concentrate on her Senate race and fund raising for Democrats.


http://ask.yahoo.com/ask/20031001.html

[Az_lefty]

26. Bush 1 - 543 vacation days???

in just one term? That's roughly a third of his total time in office. What is with that screwed up family? They act like a bunch of freeloaders.

[VegasWolf]

18. Anybody check Bush's nose for white powder? He is missing an awful

lot of work.

[Megahurtz]

21. Hahahahahahaha!!!

:rofl:

[genieroze]

22. You gotta be good at something. eom

[genieroze]

23. Ya mean he beat Ronnie Raygun?

[CrackpotAmerica]

24. Nothing funny about it

I can't even bring myself to make a joke out of this. This man will be swinging at golf balls while tens of Americans and hundreds of Iraqi people will gasp for their last breaths.

This man will be eating steak at a patio table while innocent men, women, and children will be sexually, physically, and electrically humiliated at the hands of our secretary of defense and his support of cruelty.

This man will be sipping a cold glass of lemonade while an Iraqi child must drink from the very sewage he or she had produced earlier.

No, there is nothing funny about it.

In the years to come, my friends, we will have a monumental amount of work to do. Let us start by voicing our opinion of President Louis IV's ill deserved trip to Versailles.

I have written a letter to the White House. If you want to read it, or better yet, sign it and send it yourself, let me know and I shall post it here (I won't link you to my website like a putz!)

[indie_voter]

29. I agree

In the past 2 days 20 soldiers died. Why?

Some days I get so consumed with rage, what is wrong with the sheeple?

[karlrschneider]

30. Welcome to DU!

I don't think anybody would complain if you post a link to your site, it's not against the rules and we don't normally mind unless it becomes a spam thing.

:toast:

[CrackpotAmerica]

32. Thank You | The Letter I Wrote Is Below

Well.... I just like to write, not advertise for myself; thus, the "crackpot!"
I look forward to participating in this forum. . .

[CrackpotAmerica]

33. Letter

I SENT THIS TO:

[e-mail]
[e-mail]


Dear Mr. President,

Briefly, I can not believe that you have the gall to take a vacation at this time. How dare you? How dare you feel it just to scamper off to Texas, Maine, or wherever the hell you go while over 150,000 men and women are risking their lives in a war that was unscrupulously waged by you and your constituency? On this day and of this mass of forced participants, there are 1821 men and women who will never again have the opportunity to vacation, nor enjoy their families or friends, nor take a single breath, and it astonishes me to witness that you feel you have worked hard enough to take a single moment of leisure.

Did you at any recent time stop and think about the message you would send to these people by leaving the White House for your own relaxation? Have you ever realized that while you wear a flag on your expensive lapel, there is a man or woman with the same flag, mortally wounded and staring up at his or her rescuer, who is mustering every bit of strength and courage to keep this person alive? Have you ever thought about the contaminated water a child must drink or the rationed slop a child must eat for his or her very survival as you eat your steak after what you felt was a "hard day?" The fact is, sir, you are responsible for every last one of these people whether you like it or not. You deserve no respite until these glorious people have theirs. You think about that as you relax on your pool side lounger pondering what you can think to say to make yourself look like you are on a working vacation.

I would suggest that you return to your office at once for at the very least the dignity of the soldier that you have sent who will lose his or her ultimate possession tomorrow or the next day. The alternative is reprehensible. I remind you of Louis XIV. You deserve no Versailles as he did not. If after this letter, you still feel that you are deserving of a vacation; then I must say that you, sir are as despicable as I have always believed you to be.

So please, wont you do what is right for once in your life and return to your office? You have not earned your vacation and I refuse to sit by and watch you enjoy it without my commenting on how utterly wrong it is.

Sincerely,

YOUR NAME HERE

[MisterP]

35. it's Louis XIV, IV was in the late 900s, well before Versailles

[CrackpotAmerica]

36. OOPS

Yea, Forgot the "X"

Oh well, we all make mistakes and I was waiting for someone like you to notice!!! Frankly, I'm not sure If the man in question would notice the difference.

Sorry 'bout that..

[CrackpotAmerica]

37. Fixed My Typo

[MisterP]

38. last year, they reported that he spent FORTY-TWO PERCENT of his

time on vacation!
That's over 3 out of his 8 years!!!

[SharonRB]

54. Absolutely wonderful letter.

If you signed it with your name and state, I suggest you go on a vacation so they can't find you!

Seriously, this is fabulous. He should hear it from more people, but I don't think it would make an iota of difference to him.

[CrackpotAmerica]

55. Thanks!

Yes, but it does make a difference to me. I firmly believe that the citizens have lost their voice in today's government. And so, I make every effort to shout as loud as I can...

As for my future "freak accident." I will at least leave this mortal coil knowing I did something. . .. Anything to alter the course.

Thanks for your kind words!

[SharonRB]

58. No problem.

You have a great future here on DU -- Welcome!

[boddhi]

57. Maybe we should all head down to Crawford

and hand deliver a copy of your letter

At least someone at the WH knows the truth about taking a vacation right now.....

Thanks

[CrackpotAmerica]

61. That Is a Great Idea, But:

Unlike those whom I oppose, I haven't a spare dime nor a spare moment to trek down to Texas right now.

Since I work for myself, I have to be close to my studio at all times or risk going out of business. Maybe the people over at Enron have some advice for me on how I can revalue my net worth and take an extravagent vacation!

I am hopeful, though, that I have at least inspired a bunch of you to express your outrage directly to the White House. I would love to see a report on the news that shows a mass of angry citizens' venom toward this man's decision to take a break.

Spread the word!

Thanks

[AmBlue]

67. Surely someone here at DU....

...lives close enough to Crawford that they could hand deliver it for you. If I did, I would. Gladly.

[AmBlue]

66. Welcome, Crackpot...

Well said. Glad to have you here. :hi:

[CrackpotAmerica]

70. Thanks!

The last 18 hours have been an absolute blast! Now I must figure out how to limit my time here to a few as my work is piling up over here..

Keep fiighting the good fight, everyone!

[TomInTib]

25. 5 weeks vacation...it's obvious

He's French! Could explain "Le Chimp's" arrogance too.

[gizmo1979]

27. maybe we could talk him into

another 2 and a half years.

[brentspeak]

28. He makes this country look like a country whose leader

is completely asleep at the wheel.

Is it any surprise that 9/11 occurred just after Bush returned from his first 30-day vacation? Images of Bush sleeping on his hammock for an entire month probably emboldened the hijackers: "Hey, they don't suspect a thing! Even their President is out to lunch."

[bluedog]

34. talking heads are saying

hes on a working vacation...that his staff has booked speeches and that hes going to meet a world leader.talk to reporters ......ect..........the biggie is that he can do what needs to be done from the "Western White House.as he can from the real DC White House.......if thats the case then "why didn't he do anything about the Aug 6 2001 Memo warning about an impending attack on the United States?.....

[kskiska]

39. The worst Brit Hume could come up with on Clinton

was that he was a "workoholic," and how tired he looked. It seems to me that a president should be a workoholic. I've never, ever seen * looking tired.

[Not_Giving_Up]

40. I wonder if he'll cut his face again

He always seems to have some injury to his face when he's in Crawford, which they blame on clearing brush.

[sintax]

41. Everyone should write a short LTTE

to their local newspaper. Just cite the numbers and let the Prez's inaction speak for itself.

Our heroic leader during these days of "Worldwide Terror Alert".

"Just clearin' brush boys".

[JudyM]

52. Excellent idea. Let's get some real coverage on this! n/t

[CelticWinter]

42. I have never seen a public servant have so many

vacation days. Wonder what really goes on in crawford, must be interesting they are always there.

[Algorem]

43. And at same time,his old national guard unit is being sent to Iraq,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4249792

TexasProgresive (852 posts) Wed Aug-03-05 02:49 PM
Original message

Resident *'s old unit deploys to Iraq

Just read in the Houston Chronicle that the 147th based at Ellington is deploying to Iraq to offer air support to ground troops. Georgie's a bit less then 200 miles from Ellington, so why doesn't he drive down and wish his compadres well and give them a send off?

"Ellington Field was the scene of tears, hugs and American flags Tuesday night as several hundred personnel from the 147th Fighter Wing of the Texas Air National Guard shipped out for Iraq.

The mission, at a time when the Pentagon is considering retiring all of the wing's F-16s, is to provide air support for ground troops. Personnel and pilots are expected to remain in Iraq until the early fall."

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3293795

[slay]

44. He does less damage to the country while on vacation

The one thing we all need to come away from this Bush disaster knowing is that Iraq and Iran are not the only countries with a religious extremest wacko problem. America can largely thank the evangelical christians for putting us in this situation. I'm sure Bush will find a way during his long grueling vacation to thank them (and screw the rest of us). :(

[CrackpotAmerica]

45. Funny You Should Say That:

Robert Novak said the same thing today. I'm trying to find the quote on c-span.org, but no luck yet.

The gist of it was 'while the president is getting his zzzzzz's in the white house bedroom, he can't do any damage to the country;' or something to that effect.

[slay]

48. Sad but true - and Welcome to DU Crackpot America!

Novak is total scum. How dare he claim to even care about this country? That Republican whore. Guess he figures Bush is better than one of us godless liberals being in office. Sorry but conservatives piss me off. They refuse to step into a brighter future while clinging desperately to a shitty past. Idiots.

[CrackpotAmerica]

53. Thanks!

My wife will eventually catch me posting to this site, and OH BOY am I in trouble!

She is a liberal like be (even more than me, if that is possible;) however, she thinks that I get too engorged and consumed by my political obsessions. Her big line is "ENOUGH CRACK-POTTERY FOR ONE DAY!"

[librechik]

46. the rich Bush legacy

oh, you mean the other kind of rich--as in overprivileged asshole.


WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS END?????!!!!

[kiki]

50. Re: Your sig:

I don't want to piss you off... and I could be wrong... but I don't think Nelson's going 'ha ha' in that frame.

I think that's from the episode where he does a Dr Hibbert "Heh heh heh" for some reason.

[librechik]

59. Probably

I'm notoriously non-anal about cultural references. I treasure your input. In fact, I'll incorporate it.

You realize this just adds fuel to my suspicion that Hibbert is Nelson's real father, don't you?

[fleabert]

62. OT...

here's another pic for you, if you want one...

[LeftyElvis]

47. When

isn't he on vacation? He's always smirking, always smiling just like someone on perpetual vacation.

[ClayZ]

49. He has been like that since he was a young man!

[Ksec]

51. Repubs act like hes a hard worker type

and we see the reality of a guy who takes two hour breaks midday and doesnt work weekends or holidays.

This is good stuff. We need to push this lazy President angle.

[kestrel91316]

60. Gee, the first SLACKER President

If you don't read, there isn't much work to do.

[Imagevision]

63. Nixon tops the list with vacation days (35) which is why they told

Bush to come back in 2001 after 33 so as not to portray anything negative about his vaction time off exceeding that of the Dick.

[applegrove]

64. Just like the French. Seven weeks or more vacation. Does this mean

he shows a lack of productivity too?

[MetaTrope]

65. Currently pushing 100 degrees in Crawford, TX

Let's hope he works at clearing brush very, VERY hard.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

68. But it's hard!.... Best quote from the article..

"And from the president's point of view, the long Texas stints are the best way to clear his mind and reconnect with everyday America."

Say what?

A Bush in touch with everyday America? Not for over 100 years.

[Renew Deal]

69. Lazy fuck.

Get to work you lazy bastard. We don't get that kind of time, neither should you.