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Mon 4 Oct, 2004 09:12 am
I keep reading the liberal complaint about Bush vacations and I wonder just what people think a president does on vacation?
It's not like he is allowed to go on a cruise and "forget it all".
So, please tell me why it is such a bad thing for a president to not be at the White House.
Not all jobs can be done well remotely. I'm guessing running a country is one of them.
Why is that Freeduck? Maybe he can't do it from France, but Texas is still in the states and he has a sizeable staff.
As of August last year, Bush had spent 27% of his presidency in eitehr Kennybunkport, Crawford or Camp David.
It goes to show how this man has completely no work ethic at all, way to bring up another glaring weakness of Bush.
Just for comparisson, Clinton spent 152 days during his two terms. Bush took off over 250 days during his first two and a half years. Way to go Mr. President.
During the debate Bush said he meets with FBI Director Mueller every morning when he is in DC. The implication is that he doesn't do so when he's in Texas. Leads one to wonder what he does do down there, apart from hacking away at the brush...
I'm sure if Bush was getting his willy waxed, he would stay in the White house too. :wink:
now there's an image that we can do without!
Re: Presidential vacations
McGentrix wrote:I keep reading the liberal complaint about Bush vacations and I wonder just what people think a president does on vacation?
It's not like he is allowed to go on a cruise and "forget it all".
So, please tell me why it is such a bad thing for a president to not be at the White House.
This is what he did prior to the US getting attacked on 9-11. This vacation was also taken, mind you, the day he recieved the Aug. 6th PDB which stated that Bin Laden was determined to attack the US, and determined to attack symbolic sites such as the World Trade Center. I guess you missed that one huh.
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/pp.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=45265
Quote:
Monday, August 6
4-mile run, built nature walk in canyon, fishing.[1]
Tuesday, August 7
Golf.[2]
3-mile run.[3]
Fishing, cookout with Mel Martinez.[4]
Wednesday, August 8
Habitat for Humanity, Waco, TX (injured finger).[5]
Worked out with weights.[6]
Thursday, August 9
Jogging, fishing, announced stem cell decision (9pm EST).[7]
Sunday, August 12
Church near Crawford.[8]
Monday, August 13
Golf, signed agriculture bill with audience of farmers.[9]
Tuesday, August 14, 2001
Thinned brush and raised money at a picnic in Colorado.[10]
Talked to children at YMCA camp in Colorado.[11]
Wednesday, August 15, 2001
Talked to children in Albuquerque, opened job-training center, addressed Chamber of
Commerce, attended fundraiser for Sen. Domenici, Colorado Rockies v. Atlanta Braves.[12]
Saturday, August 18, 2001
Radio address re: faith-based initiatives.[13]
Monday, August 20, 2001
Addressed VFW Convention, toured Harley-Davidson plant, Milwaukee.[14]
Work out, dinner with friends.[15]
Tuesday, August 21, 2001
Truman High School, Independence, MO re: taxes.[16]
Wednesday, August 22, 2001
Ran, lifted weights.[17]
Thursday, August 23, 2001
Golf, Crawford Elementary School, met with horticulturalist re: trees on ranch.[18]
Friday, August 24, 2001
Press conference re: economy (1st press conference of vacation).[19]
Saturday, August 25, 2001
Ranch tour for the press (80 minutes).[20]
Sunday, August 26, 2001
Steel Plant in Pennsylvania, barbeque.[21]
Little League World Series Championship (Japan v. Florida).[22]
Wednesday, August 29, 2001
Spoke at an American Legion Convention re: military budget, tax cut.[23]
Dedicated a restored grist mill, San Antonio.[24]
I don't know why McGentrix would describe misgivings about a poor work ethic as "liberal complaints." Where I grew up it was generally a liberal attitude that allowed my father to work monday through Thursday in the summer in July and August in addition to giving himself at least a week off during one month or the other.
A conservative attitude would have one working saturdays and not to get paid overtime for it.
I think this is proof that the definition of "liberal" and "conservative" no longer have much meaning.
Furthermore whether or not on vacation the President is almost always "out to lunch."
Of course that's why like him as a person if not as a president.
McGentrix wrote:Why is that Freeduck? Maybe he can't do it from France, but Texas is still in the states and he has a sizeable staff.
But the rest of the government is in Washington and so, presumably, there are limitations as to who he can meet with and when (those people also have jobs to do). I can't imagine that the CEO of a company could take that many 'working vacations' and not notice a deterioration in the companies bottom line -- unless the company runs itself. I don't think anyone would dare say that this government is so efficient that it could run itself.
Odd that he has so much more vacation when compared to other presidents...
surely they could have worked from anywhere, as well, but they didn't.
Cycloptichorn
They also did not share the technology that we have today to be able to do secure video conferencing, secure networking and hell, maybe he uses AIM to communicate with some people.
So, why should he be at all in Washington then?
To keep the critics quiet
AIM and secure networking did not just pop up on the radar in the last four years. I'd be willing to bet that Clinton also had access to them. Technology is handy but it has limitations. Anyone who's tried to work from home on a permanent basis knows this.
Wouldn't it make sense to not have a president who was on vacation so much that the APPEARANCE is that he isn't working hard enough on the job?
I mean, afterall, Bush has told us more often than not how "hard" his job is.
I guess that's why he needs all the vacations.
(Of course, the evidence re the hard work is a bit skimpy. The vacations, however, we know all about...)
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