| | Whew... I need a vacation! Not necessarily a vacation from my job because I work at a library, but a vacation from all the concerns and worries in the world today. With the current wars, two potential conflicts (Iran and Venezuela), the Nigerian food crisis, and the rising prices for oil, healthcare, housing, and education coupled with mediocre economic performance... it's just all too much! What can one person do?
Well if you're only one person, and you're the most powerful person in the world, I'd suppose you have two choices you could make. One would be to stick it out and remain at work holding conferences, meetings, and pushing for new legislations and reforms that would address the needs of the American people both domestic and foreign. Or, you could just believe that everything is going well and return to your modest ranch in a large state, oh let's say Texas.
But wait, perhaps I shouldn't be so hard on the guy, after all, it's only what, the 10th, 20th vacation?
"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."
Oh...
"Until now, probably no modern president was a more famous vacationer than Ronald Reagan, who loved spending time at his ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif. According to an Associated Press count, Reagan spent all or part of 335 days in Santa Barbara over his eight-year presidency -- a total that Bush will surpass this month in Crawford with 3 1/2 years left in his second term." - Washington Post
But, at least Scott McClellan said this about Bush's current vacation,
"Spending time outside of Washington always gives the president a fresh perspective of what's on the minds of the American people," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters Friday. "It's a time, really, for him to shed the coat and tie and meet with folks out in the heartland and hear what's on their minds."
That is, other than Ms. Sheehan... |
