President Bush's Big Fat French Vacation
I heard a report on CNN that George Bush is taking five weeks...five weeks!...of vacation. Now, I'm sure they slip him a bill or two to sign, and I believe he did pop off to Illinois the other day...but his job is clearing disasters and such from Washington, not clearing brush in Crawford, Texas. Just doing what I do, I work six or seven days a week, year round. I'm sorry, but if you're the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, maybe you don't get vacations until you're out of office...or maybe you should take a week...not five?
Hmmm...I bet some of those men and women on stop-loss orders in Iraq would love five weeks vacation!
I dunno, Amy: I'm pretty sure he's doing a fair amount of working from home (it's a vacation where he's staying at home, not partying on South Padre), something some of us have the luxury of doing on a regular basis. I sure don't, not anymore, but I wish I did.
(Also, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if GWB is light years away from burnout, but I think that people in general should not wait until they are burnt out to do something about it. As someone who's stupidly not taken care of herself in this regard in the past - and still has much room for improvement - I can't criticise someone for being smart about work/life balance.)
Jackie Danicki at August 17, 2005 2:43 AM
Poor ole George just can't win with Amy. When he invades Iraq instead of appeasing, he's not acting French enough, but when he screws off in the wilderess for a while he's being too damn French.
How much French is French enough for the cowboy, somewhere between fries and kissing?
Richard Bennett at August 17, 2005 2:56 AM
According to an Associated Press count, Reagan spent all or part of 335 days at his Santa Barbara ranch 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.
My sister is home on her big two-week "r&r" from Iraq this week. And many of us think going back to work after our vacations is a drag...
Claire at August 17, 2005 6:25 AM
Well, there's balance and then there's indulgence. I'm concerned with balance, too, but I think five weeks away is excessive for a president.
Richard, it was a joke. Still, I believe Jacques Chirac takes much less vacation than George Bush. Then again, Karl Rove and Dick Cheney are probably running the country, so maybe it doesn't matter.
All the best to your sister, Claire. Please tell her thank you from me, at least, and probably a lot of other people reading here.
Amy Alkon at August 17, 2005 10:42 AM
Toward the end, even when Reagan was present, he really wasn't there.
eric at August 17, 2005 11:02 AM
Thanks, Amy, I will.
Claire at August 17, 2005 12:34 PM
What, you're joking? You really admire the President and want to see him well-rested and well-balanced so he can lead the Free World to greater heights of achievement and free more people and depose more dictators and stuff?
I should have known, I just have no sense of irony at all (being American, you see.)
Richard Bennett at August 17, 2005 1:16 PM
Claire -
Yes, good luck and Godspeed for your sister's safe return. Please thank her for me, at the very least (perhaps she's serving alongside my wife's cousin, who was near the Kuwait border the last we heard).
Dmac at August 17, 2005 2:49 PM
I hope people will take this time to analyze what they, themselves are saying.
If Mr. Bush is stupid, he can't be running the show. If he's not running the show, then complaining about him or to him makes no sense.
I doubt that anyone will think about their own "logic", though. Most wish to speak, not to learn.
Radwaste at August 17, 2005 2:51 PM
Thanks, too, Dmac. I'll tell her. The same to your wife's cousin. My sister is up in Mosul, but my sister-in-law (nurse w/British Army) is down in Basra...maybe she's closer? When is your wife's cousin able to return home? Hopefully, my sister returns "for good" in December.
Claire at August 17, 2005 7:00 PM
Radwaste, didn't you get the memo? If it's an odd-numbered day, Bush is an evil mastermind. If it's an even-numbered day, he's a brainless chimp. Get with the program! (Personally, I think he's a statist control freak who wants to legislate his morality, just like 99.9% of politicians.)
Jackie Danicki at August 18, 2005 10:09 AM
I never have been clear on who's supposed to be pulling Chimpy McHitlerburton's strings: is it Karl Rove, or Cheney, or the neo-cons, or Laura, or his mama, or is there a committee of capitalist overlords chaired by Kenny Boy who issue the orders to him?
Whatever it is, he talks funny so I don't like him.
Richard Bennett at August 18, 2005 11:49 AM
Jackie - in either case, critics should shut up and be *happy* that he's not working. They just can't shut up!
Radwaste at August 18, 2005 4:28 PM
Hmph. Guess Radwaste, Richard and Jackie just hate that part in the Wizard of Oz, where he exclaims "Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain!"
moe at August 18, 2005 8:29 PM
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