Bush About To Break Record For Vacation Days

[JABBS]

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."

***

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.

[texanwitch]

1. Bush's whole useless life is a vacation. What a waste of space.

:puke:

[Syncronaut Seven]

2. Presidentin is hard work!!!!!

I am not a lying sack of shit, so stop saying that!!!!

[Ready4Change]

3. Does this include other vacations Bush has taken?

Camp David? Boating with his dad? etc...

Or is he going to break Reagans record with ONLY his days in Crawford?

[JABBS]

6. Only Crawford

It's full and partial days, based on record keeping by CBS News, as quoted by the Washington Post.

If you throw in Camp David, it's a higher number.

[ChickMagic]

8. And that doesn't include

Kennebunkport either.

[uppityperson]

4. 1843 this morning, was 1838 when I went to be last night

6 USA military dead today.

[Fovea]

5. And without a doubt

if I were a terrorist planner, I would be shooting for
another strike at the end of August, if for no other reason than to make Bush even less politically effective.

What a pathetic joke of a president.

[area51]

7. I'm shocked.

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that Bush is a lazy mofo layabout. </sarcasm>

[ChickMagic]

9. What a smirking frat boy

slacker this guy is. Never had to work a day in his life - why would anyone care that he's on vacation anyway? Can he legitimately call the pig farm "The Western Whitehouse" without some sort of congressional approval? Not that that's ever stopped him, of course. He's very Jacksonian in that way.