It's 10 O'Clock. Do You Know Where Your President Is? In Bed.

[kskiska]

By ELISABETH BUMILLER

WASHINGTON

On Sunday night President Bush spent two hours watching a gala at Ford's Theater. On Wednesday he will spend an hour at a St. Patrick's Day lunch on Capitol Hill. On Tuesday he will spend something less than an hour with the prime minister of the Netherlands. And, of course, he will spend an hour each day in exercise.

Americans might surmise from at least some of these activities that the president of the United States has time to burn. That was certainly the point last week of Senator John Kerry, who slammed Mr. Bush for spending as much time with cows in Houston as the president had allotted for his testimony to the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks.

"If the president of the United States can find time to go to a rodeo, he can find the time to do more than one hour in front of a commission that is investigating what happened to America's intelligence," said Mr. Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

The White House response was that Mr. Bush would answer all the commission's questions, and that he might go over the hour allotted. "Nobody's watching the clock," Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, said on Tuesday.

But on Sunday, Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, fired a warning shot at the commission on behalf of her boss. "I would hope that they would recognize that he's president, and people would be judicious in the use of his time," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

Underneath the political back-and-forth is a more substantive campaign issue that illuminates the nature of a presidency: How does the leader of the free world use his most precious commodity, time?

more…
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/15/politics/15LETT.html

[Pax Argent]

1. It makes you wonder why we're even bothering

I say just wait till Kerry takes over and indict the whole bloody lot of them. That's the only way that we're ever going to get the truth.

:mad:

[jamesinca]

21. Don't do it while they are in office

He will give presidential pardons like his daddy handed out in '91. Besides it would piss off Babs Bush if she had to relieve another term like her husband experienced. So lets not make George give presidential pardons, lets wait till the idiot is out of office. I think 3:15 1/20/05 should be enough time.

[punpirate]

2. Condi Rice can lick my asshole....

Bush has spent, including flight time, probably a couple of thousand hours in the last year or so on fundraising. No one is mentioning the time he's spending on that--as if it's normal. It's not. Bush is a consummate corporate whore, and time spent whoring ought to be prominently mentioned by the media. Why isn't it?

[DemMother]

7. Because "reporters" like Elisabeth Bumiller...

are WH mouthpieces. She's the idiot who asked Kerry the god question in the debate and later wrote a stupid article about Bush's body language indicating that he really, really, really didn't want to support the FMA, but was forced to do so (he's not a mean man--honest. He has gay friends...)

I guess the word for this week is "engaged." The WH needs to spin a picture of Bush on top of things.

[Cronus Protagonist]

18. She's probably an expert at THAT

And she might jump at the chance. Be careful what you wish for..... eugh :(

http://brainbuttons.com

[bluestateguy]

3. Bill Clinton had to spend seven hours talking about sex

to that effeminate pervert Ken Starr, but I guess I'm being unreasonable expecting the president to spend more than an hour in front of the 9/11 Commission.

[soleft]

8. effeminate pervert?

I'll go along with the pervert part. What exactly are you implying with the adjective effiminate?

[mike1963]

33. Well, he IS effeminate. If you consider it pejorative, that's your choice

I don't find it a value-judged adjective, it's simply appropriate.
(I'm gay and it doesn't bother me...I don't like girly guys. If I wanted a woman I'd go get a real one...)
:eyes:
edit: typo

[bagnana]

4. Bush's average day:

1. wake up
2. work out
3. get briefed on Fox news by Condi and other.
4. nap
5. telephone calls to Kenny boy and other.
6. nap
7. fundraiser
8. t.v. and pretzels -- nap (or pas out)
9. dinner
10. bed.

[CatWoman]

28. a day in the life of *

[LiberalFighter]

5. And, of course, he will spend an hour each day in exercise.

Exercising what? I thought he couldn't do any running because of his knees. I doubt that he exercises his mind.

[Lisa]

31. and if he did, it would be what -- 30 seconds, max?

But seriously -- it's amazing, the amount of time this guy spends trying to look good for the cameras (e.g. sucking in his gut for the cameras when he was showing the Mexican president around the "ranch").

[goforit]

6. Who cares!! It's what Cheney/Rumsfeld/Pearle/Rove do with their time

:tinfoilhat:

[UpInArms]

9. he's no more than a

sock stuffed with walnuts.

A fake, a phony and a fraud -

please remember he's not my president - he is the squatting occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

[seafan]

10. Another choice quote from the article:

But on Sunday, Condoleezza Rice, the national security adviser, fired a warning shot at the commission on behalf of her boss. "I would hope that they would recognize that he's president, and people would be judicious in the use of his time," she said on NBC's "Meet the Press."




"No man is so methodical as a complete idler, and none so scrupulous in measuring out his time as he whose time is worth nothing."---Washington Irving, American author (1783-1859)

[Gemini Cat]

15. I guess if they aren't "judicious in the

use of his time" she'll make a real scarey face at them.

Who the hell is she to say anything at this point, what with her major security screw ups and all. Some nerve!



:dem:

[wabeewoman]

11. Sorry, I don't buy it

"Out of any given 24 hours in Washington, Mr. Bush will generally spend 11 hours working, 7 hours sleeping and 6 other hours in the White House residence."
11 hours working?? uh, yeah

"To break it down further, the president is generally awake by 5 a.m., when he has coffee and reads the newspapers in bed with his wife."
I thought he didn't read the newspaper and can you see Laura up at 5am? I don't think so.
This is just more propaganda from bush. He is a slacker...a fluff piece doesn't change that.

[kskiska]

17. They didn't account

for his praying and bible-reading time.

[PartyPooper]

12. But, let us not forget that he prays for us *all* in his spare time.

HEAVY sarcasm /

:evilgrin:

[TanMeKangaroo]

13. Kerry will take over soon

Then we will know where he is. He and his lovely wife will have some nice parties at out Whitehouse and most of us will be invited for supporting him. I look forward to the parties.

[jeanmarc]

14. He don't testify, he don't read newspapers

"To break it down further, the president is generally awake by 5 a.m., when he has coffee and reads the newspapers in bed with his wife"

Oops, another lie. So who lied? Is it Bush or this fluff article writing 'reporter?'

And where was he when I was terrorized by Janet Jackson's nipple during the Super Bowl halftime? At halftime, this Resident was asleep. What a complete dope.

[schultzee]

16. Colin Powell said everyone in the adm. take Ambine. So GW sleeps

well.

[grasswire]

19. but.....

....the four authors on C-span last night who have written books about Bush said that he has TWO 45 minute policy meetings per week. Just two.

[Rex]

20. Rice needs to shut the hell up.

To put in nicely.

[otohara]

22. Only 2, 45 Minute Policy Meetings Per Week

let me repeat this unfucking believable known fact:

This man, the leader of the world's super power ONLY HAS 2, 45 MINUTE POLICY MEETINGS PER WEEK.

Busy my ass!!! He is the laziest leader we've ever had -

[DeepModem Mom]

23. As many have speculated, I think Bush has serious ADD,

for which substance abuse was a coping mechanism. Now he copes in some interesting way involving discipline and fundamentalist Christianity. As an alcoholic, with ADD and other difficulties, it has to be difficult to get through a day being George Bush. He does need rest, and exercise probably helps. He's too arrogant to admit to his problems, probably even to himself, or to recognize the complete inadequacy of his intellect for the office he allowed to be stolen for him. Elizabeth Bumiller enables this arrogance, and disserves her readers by failing to acknowledge that the man now in the most powerful position in the world has serious problems, and a dangerously inadequate intellect.

[TroglodyteScholar]

27. ADD? Please...

He doesn't have ADD...his brain is fried from a) never having to do anything (correctly) in his life, and b) abusing substances.

Sometimes substance abuse isn't self-medication. Sometimes it's what brings on the mental problems.

[DeepModem Mom]

30. Agree Bush probably damaged his brain with substance abuse,

but I think there's a family history of ADD that he also suffers from. I remember reading an account from a childhood friend who used to be taken to the movies with W by George I. They never stayed for the entire movie! Poppy couldn't sit still that long. I think that's why WH meetings have to be SHORT --

[leftchick]

24. I believe he passes out about 8:30ish...

Isn't that about the time Janet showed her boob? He missed it because he was asleep. As for daytime hours, why the hell is no one bringing up the time he spends campaigning? Besides destroying every aspect of our country, that is ALL he has done since Jan. 20, 2001.

[susu369]

25. Bumiller gets paid to write this useless stuff?

Talk about a puff piece.

"The teetotaling president retires around 9 p.m., even when he has guests, and takes to bed a giant briefing book to read as preparation for the following day. Lights are out at 10."

Teetotaling - my guess is bu$h* is a closet drinker and takes a gaint bottle to bed not a briefing book.

[PATRICK]

26. Simple reason

Above all, no matter what the crisis or need, the first and foremost routine to protect is keeping the little Napoleon from complete mental collapse. So deadly afraid are they of the effects of real stress that actually being a president must come second.

So the "Reagan" style delegations(incapacity argument works many ways).

Steady light regimen with no depth to troubling work or problems.

Use what little sparks are flying around up there for select deals and especially- campaigning!

Make W enjoy himself and communicate that well-being to a mystified nation. After all Dad visibly tired and soured on the job easily lost his election and he was no dry drunk burn out.

That is why there will be no monthly debates. Kerry's cynical joke was missed by the media, staring at the ceiling and whistling instead of pondering the proposal.

That is why there will be no risky campaigning in front of non-screened large crowds. No more interviews. No involvement much in the details of crises. Nothing except relaxing photo-ops and vacation.

[KansDem]

29. "President Bush spent two hours watching a gala at Ford's Theater"

Hmmmmmm......

[Manix]

32. The imbecile could spend all day in bed for all he accomplishes.