Bush hard at work...

[CleBrownsfan]

Bush's Texas five-week getaway to set a record

hxxp://www.detnews.com/2005/politics/0508/04/A03-269678.htm

I just can't belive our Commander in Chief takes these vacations when we are at war. Yes he still will be "working" while on vacation but how does this make the families that have just lost thier son/daughter feel when they die at war and our president is relaxing in his Texas ranch.

Love this quote:
"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 said Friday

Guess he's not really getting the majority of American people's perspective when his approval rating is at a all time low.

Sorry - just had to vent!!

[cartman]

Cue the Bush apologists in 3... 2...

[CraigSca]

I agree - it's always a point of contention when the Prez takes a couple weeks off when ANYTHING is going on. The apologist in me (ha!) says this happens with any president. The non-apologist says, "get back to work - there's a war going on."

[amdaily]

And what would you have him do with Congress also on a 5 week vacation? I'm sure he could attempt to unilaterally put some new laws in place, but I have a feeling you'd vent even more at that.

[amdaily]

Dola,

Besides, he is actually going work:

Bush hosts Colombian leader

hxxp://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/nation/12310223.htm

"In their private meeting, Bush said, they talked about terrorism, trade and human rights."

[gstelmack]

Cue the Bush apologists in 3... 2...
Which puts them in here just a bit after the Bush bashers http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif

Clinton spent an awful lot of time on the golf course, you know...

[flere-imsaho]

Clinton spent an awful lot of time on the golf course, you know...

Clinton didn't put 150,000 American troops in harm's way, either.

[CraigSca]

And so the lather, rinse, repeat continues.

[Critch]

So the North Korean leader is hitting 11 holes in one in a round of golf, writing operas, directing movies and memorizing hundreds of lines of computer code, and Bush is on vacation?!

If he doesn't come back from his break with a new ballet and proof he bowled a perfect game, he should be impeached

[gstelmack]

Clinton didn't put 150,000 American troops in harm's way, either.
Hahahahahahahaha!

How many times did Clinton put troops overseas and in harm's way? I mean seriously, do you remember how often he was busy cutting the Defense budget while sending troops to war?

[cartman]

And what would you have him do with Congress also on a 5 week vacation? I'm sure he could attempt to unilaterally put some new laws in place, but I have a feeling you'd vent even more at that.

Well, just last week he said thay we are still in a war. Since I'm pretty sure that the DoD, and DHS don't take a 5 week recess, shouldn't there be interaction in that area.

And, if something comes up, don't count on him to cut short his time in Crawford. The only time he cut short a trip to Crawford was to sign the Terry Schiavo legislation.

[cartman]

Hahahahahahahaha!

How many times did Clinton put troops overseas and in harm's way? I mean seriously, do you remember how often he was busy cutting the Defense budget while sending troops to war?

Do you remember the pre-9/11 proposals that Rumsfeld put forth as Sec. of Defense? He was wanting to extend the cuts even further...

[duckman]

Somebody show me the rule that the President has to work at the White House while Congress is in recess. He can get just as much done at his Texas ranch as he could in Washington at this point and time. Plus, he has world leaders come to the ranch to discuss issues between the US and their respective countries.

People are making into a much bigger deal than it really is. Clinton was the only President in recent memory that didn't leave the White House during his terms in office. Even FDR left Washington for weeks during World War II.

Besides, there is much better things to bitch about in regards to Bush like the shitty exit strategy for Iraq.

[flere-imsaho]

Hahahahahahahaha!

How many times did Clinton put troops overseas and in harm's way? I mean seriously, do you remember how often he was busy cutting the Defense budget while sending troops to war?

Budgets are approved by Congress. Congress was, at the time, controlled by Republicans. Short memory, no?

[Raiders Army]

Methinks Clinton had an intern---erm, reason to stay at the White House. :)

[Buccaneer]

Clinton, like all presidents, took annual vacation trips. Don't remember at least two extended stays in Jackson, WY or the last one in Central New York (to prove that Hillary wasn't a carpet bagger)?

Besides, I would prefer for Congress and the President to take much longer than 5 weeks. They have too much power as it is and get into too much trouble inside the Beltway.

Finally, in this mega-connected age which I sure most of you are familiar with, what does geography has to do with work?

[Buccaneer]

Also, don't forget that we have always been at "War" where many have died - War on Poverty (since the 1960s), Cold War (up to 1990), War on Drugs (since early 1970s), War on Terrorism (since 2001), War on Stupid, Hyperbolic Media (since 1800). Even when the troops are gone from Iraq (hopefully soon), no president will ever be allowed to ever leave the White House. They criticized Lincoln for doing it, for FDR, for Nixon, etc, etc.

[QuikSand]

This is no big deal. All empty political spin.

Let's be honest -- if anything comes up requiring the President's immediate attention, there is no material difference between the ability to get him involved from Crawford as compared to Washington. None at all.

I think of it as the domestic equivalent of "outsourcing," since his job can be done just as effectively from the ranch as from the White House.

[henry296]

Clinton, like all presidents, took annual vacation trips. Don't remember at least two extended stays in Jackson, WY or the last one in Central New York (to prove that Hillary wasn't a carpet bagger)?

Besides, I would prefer for Congress and the President to take much longer than 5 weeks. They have too much power as it is and get into too much trouble inside the Beltway.

Finally, in this mega-connected age which I sure most of you are familiar with, what does geography has to do with work?

I also recall many trips by the President to Martha's Vineyard every summer for a couple of weeks.

He is on a working vacation... no big deal to me.

[ice4277]

Finally, in this mega-connected age which I sure most of you are familiar with, what does geography has to do with work?
Exactly. It's not like he would have to horse-and-buggy his way back to D.C. in the case of an emergency.

[sachmo71]

I'm glad the CIC is taking a break. He needs some R&R. Maybe he'll come back with some fresh ideas?

[Bee]

Any chance of extending the vacation until the next election?

[cartman]

http://images.usatoday.com/news/_photos/2005/08/05/cartoon-inside.jpg

[Samdari]

I am hardly a Bush apologist, in fact, he disgusts me with what he is doing with our young men.

But one complaint I don't have is how hard he works. I guarantee he puts in more hours on vacation than you do in a workweek. Its the toughest job in the world, I don't mind if he spends a few weeks doing 10 hour days at home instead of 15 hour days in Washington.

[flere-imsaho]

War on Stupid, Hyperbolic Media (since 1800).

I'd make that 1600, or even earlier. :D My roommate in grad school, doing his Ph.D. on Elizabethan prose, also had an interest in media distortions. He loved to pick examples from the (first) Elizabethan era to show how little times had changed in the press.

There's probably a lesson there....

[andy m]

bush puts in 0 hours of work ever, other people do it all for him. the dude can't even read.

[Crapshoot]

Somebody show me the rule that the President has to work at the White House while Congress is in recess. He can get just as much done at his Texas ranch as he could in Washington at this point and time. Plus, he has world leaders come to the ranch to discuss issues between the US and their respective countries.

People are making into a much bigger deal than it really is. Clinton was the only President in recent memory that didn't leave the White House during his terms in office. Even FDR left Washington for weeks during World War II.

Besides, there is much better things to bitch about in regards to Bush like the shitty exit strategy for Iraq.

Yeah, he can work from the ranch - no big deal here. I don't see a story, unless he's hiding out, away from calls, away from decisions for 6 weeks -which is plainly untrue.

[flere-imsaho]

Let's be honest -- if anything comes up requiring the President's immediate attention, there is no material difference between the ability to get him involved from Crawford as compared to Washington. None at all.

1. I'm not disputing this.

2. To an extent, I agree that the media is blowing this out of proportion.

My annoyance comes because I think that the timing is symbolically bad. During an especially bloody week for coalition forces in Iraq, at a time when the political process in Iraq is having troubles, just weeks after the London bombings, a day after a new video message from Al-Qaeda, the President "goes on vacation"?

Look up and read his comments to the press after the bombing that killed the Marines west of Baghdad. Bush states that the coalition won't rest until the mission is completed. That everyone is going to work hard to make sure Iraq turns out right. That we're all behind our troops.

And then he goes on vacation.

I think it's the wrong message to send. To refer to this thread, (http://dynamic.gamespy.com/~fof/forums/showthread.php?t=41244&highlight=patriotism) I'd have to say that the message the President is sending is that although the country is "at war", life is "business as usual" for everyday Americans. Should it be that way? Should it be that way as Americans continue to die in Iraq & Afghanistan? Should it be that way if we are fighting, as this Administration tells us, the most important war of our time (WoT)?

[Raiders Army]

bush puts in 0 hours of work ever, other people do it all for him. the dude can't even read.
I hope you're joking.

[CleBrownsfan]

I understand he can be just as efficient from the ranch as from the White House but days after the largest casualties the military has taken in Iraq our President goes on “vacation”. It just leaves a very sour taste with me... I personally know two people who have died in Iraq and while Bush is bike riding and working on his f’n farm in Texas for the next 5 weeks - these men/women/ are risking their lives every day. I guess I just expect our president to dedicate any of his “free” time to try to come up with a plan to get our troops out from the Middle East - I guess I expect to much...

[JW]

This is all political nonsense. Let me see if I have this right. The Bush-haters are mad because Bush will be taking a vacation and maybe won't be as involved in doing things the Bush-haters hate as he might be if he stayed in Washington? Is that about it? They are mad because he might be taking a break from ruining the country?

I'm hoping that maybe the ranch will get infiltrated by some illegal aliens (excuse me, undocumented non-citizens) so he can get a firsthand look at the border problems he refuses to deal with.

[cartman]

This is all political nonsense. Let me see if I have this right. The Bush-haters are mad because Bush will be taking a vacation and maybe won't be as involved in doing things the Bush-haters hate as he might be if he stayed in Washington? Is that about it? They are mad because he might be taking a break from ruining the country?

I'm hoping that maybe the ranch will get infiltrated by some illegal aliens (excuse me, undocumented non-citizens) so he can get a firsthand look at the border problems he refuses to deal with.

No, I don't begrudge anyone taking a vacation, much less the president. If this was the first time he'd taken an extended vacation this year, no one would mention it. But he has been away from Washington more than any other president, by a wide margin. That fact cannot be disputed.

But the image that is being presented is not a good one, as has been stated, based on recent events. For an administration that tries to manipulate their public image as much as this one, it is puzzling. If it is true that he can get as much done in Crawford as he can in Washington, why not stay in Washington an extra week or two to project an image of trying to work on the urgent issues around Iraq and our security, instead of heading off straight for the ranch?

[Raiders Army]

I understand he can be just as efficient from the ranch as from the White House but days after the largest casualties the military has taken in Iraq our President goes on “vacation”. It just leaves a very sour taste with me... I personally know two people who have died in Iraq and while Bush is bike riding and working on his f’n farm in Texas for the next 5 weeks - these men/women/ are risking their lives every day. I guess I just expect our president to dedicate any of his “free” time to try to come up with a plan to get our troops out from the Middle East - I guess I expect to much...
First part, I am in agreement. Second part...

Whereas I disagree with andy m that the President can't read, I don't think that he has the experience to come up with a plan to get our troops out of the Middle East. Not to take you literally, but you realize World War II was a long time ago, relatively speaking, and we still have soldiers there...not to mention Korea. Anyhow, I think he just approves and maybe tweaks the plans; he doesn't come up with them.

[CleBrownsfan]

Anyhow, I think he just approves and maybe tweaks the plans; he doesn't come up with them.

Well maybe The Commander in Chief should spend more of his free time with the people who come up with these plans so they can expedite getting our troops out of harms way.

[Raiders Army]

Well maybe The Commander in Chief should spend more of his free time with the people who come up with these plans so they can expedite getting our troops out of harms way.
A little threadjack here. Come on dude. Have you read the arguments above?

#1: He can work just as effectively anywhere in this day and age of communications.

#2: I don't think that the Joint Chiefs of Staff needs to be micromanaged by someone with little military experience.

#3: What do you propose he do specifically with the JCS?

I believe that as far as visibility and support of the war, he should stay in Washington...beyond that, these other arguments don't have much weight.

[sportsfan13]

The thing is, even though Clinton hit the driving range every once in awhile, Bush has taken more vacation days than any other president. Coming in second was Regan, and he took something around 360 days (don't quote me on this number because I don't have the documentation to back it up right now!). What's disturbing about this is Bush still has ALOT of his second term left!!!
Agreed that he can make it back to D.C. in a couple hours if needed, however it looks terrible to everyone that our leader needs a break from his job right as the terror level is has been moved higher and as we loose more soldiers. Granted, it's a tough job and I wouldn't want it, but how am I supposed to have any faith in this guy if he ducks out every couple of days. It shows me he doesn't give a shit. His ratings are at the lowest and instead of trying to encourage the American public, he hides out in the woods. 1 out of 5 days he spends on vacation. Must be nice....

[HomerJSimpson]

Ummmm....didn't FDR spend a good bit of WW2 in Warm Springs, Ga.? That was in day when it was a little harder to work from long distances. People, this is all pure partisan politics. It has absolutely no substance no matter how you spin it.

[amdaily]

didn't FDR spend a good bit of WW2 in Warm Springs, Ga.?
That would be fair to say. Was just going to mention this.

[cartman]

Ummmm....didn't FDR spend a good bit of WW2 in Warm Springs, Ga.? That was in day when it was a little harder to work from long distances.

Before the war, he had frequent trips. However, post Pearl Harbor, he only made 3 visits, including the final one where he died.

[HomerJSimpson]

Before the war, he had frequent trips. However, post Pearl Harbor, he only made 3 visits, including the final one where he died.


But how could he? What kind of message was he sending that he could vacation while he is putting hundred's of thousands of American troops in harms way? BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! It is just all so stupid. I am a fellow Bush basher, and I recognize how this is just barking up the wrong tree. Fight the good fight, not this minor stupidity.

[stevew]

The Oval Office is where the President is, not necessarily limited to Washington DC. I think he likes to go to Texas to piss of the DC media elite, since they have to deal with the extreme heat this time of year.

[cartman]

But how could he? What kind of message was he sending that he could vacation while he is putting hundred's of thousands of American troops in harms way? BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! It is just all so stupid. I am a fellow Bush basher, and I recognize how this is just barking up the wrong tree. Fight the good fight, not this minor stupidity.

He also had health reasons for visiting, which was not discussed at that time. In this day and age, he would never have been elected due to his polio. He didn't have photo ops of him getting therapy down there, or not to mention the story of how he never could have made the trip to Yalta without getting treatment in Warm Springs before making the trip.

He spent a total of 6 weeks in Warm Springs between Dec. 7th, 1941 and April 12th, 1945, one week more than Bush is spending on this current vacation. This is what I mentioned earlier, that if this was his first extended vacation, no one would be making a fuss about it.

[sachmo71]

In the era of almost-instantaneous, worldwide communication, I have a hard time believing that it is necessary for the President to spend the majority of his time in the White House.

[HomerJSimpson]

He spent a total of 6 weeks in Warm Springs between Dec. 7th, 1941 and April 12th, 1945, one week more than Bush is spending on this current vacation. This is what I mentioned earlier, that if this was his first extended vacation, no one would be making a fuss about it.


And my point is that there is no reason to make a fuss now. You have much better arguements to why Bush has been and is a bad president. Don't stoop to these minor quibles that make you look petty and foolish.

[Klinglerware]

...now watch my drive!

Seriously, the vacation time is really not such a big deal--it's just like tele-commuting for the president.

And besides, as we all know, people can goof off and/or be ineffective just as much when at the office...

[JonInMiddleGA]

bush puts in 0 hours of work ever, other people do it all for him. the dude can't even read.

Still pissed about the Revolution?

[MrBug708]

Clinton didn't put 150,000 American troops in harm's way, either.

He just blew up a few aspirin factory's on important personal court matters as well bombing the Chinese embassy

[JonInMiddleGA]

Clinton didn't put 150,000 American troops in harm's way, either.

Nah ... just he & his ilk put an entire nation at risk every minute they had power or influence.

You're right, it's totally different.

[Farrah Whitworth-Rahn]

Still pissed about the Revolution?
Best. post. ever. http://dynamic.gamespy.com/%7Efof/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

[MrBug708]

bush puts in 0 hours of work ever, other people do it all for him. the dude can't even read.

And capitalization is lost on you. We all have our flaws.

[cartman]

And my point is that there is no reason to make a fuss now.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this point.

To clarify my point, I would be upset if any president did this, not just Bush. If you look at my past posts, I'm an equal opportunity political basher. I don't think anyone in politics should get a free pass.

[cartman]

Nah ... just he & his ilk put an entire nation at risk every minute they had power or influence.

You're right, it's totally different.

Jon,

I was curious if you ever tried painting in the Surrealistic style. I'm sure the images you could paint that came from your subconscious would rival anything Dali came up with...

:p
:D

edit to make the painting style correct. My artistic side doesn't work on Fridays...

[flere-imsaho]

He just blew up a few aspirin factory's on important personal court matters as well bombing the Chinese embassy

So you equate these two episodes with putting hundreds of thousands of American soldiers in harm's way, which includes the deaths of almost 2000 (so far) and the maiming of many thousands of others?

What an interesting sense of moral equivalency you have.

[flere-imsaho]

Nah ... just he & his ilk put an entire nation at risk every minute they had power or influence.


You're talking about Bush, right?

[JonInMiddleGA]

You're talking about Bush, right?

LOL, not bad.
Not a brilliant retort, but not bad for short notice either ;)

[CamEdwards]

Liberals: make up your mind. Every minute that Bush is on vacation is a minute that he's not fucking up America, right?

So why aren't you happy that he's on vacation?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Liberals: make up your mind. Every minute that Bush is on vacation is a minute that he's not fucking up America, right?

So why aren't you happy that he's on vacation?

There's a fatal flaw with your request you know, an assumption that renders your whole argument moot. I'll leave it to you to find ;)

[CamEdwards]

There's a fatal flaw with your request you know, an assumption that renders your whole argument moot. I'll leave it to you to find ;)

Yes, I know. But I love poking fun.

BTW, you're going to love my book when it comes out. I should start sending you some rough draft material to critique.

[Ben E Lou]

As I mentioned back in November, I held my nose and voted for Dubya. It was more of a vote *against* Badnarik and Kerry than a vote *for* Dubya, that's for sure. I'm no "Bush apologist," but he gets a pass on this one. The "more time than any other President" comparison doesn't wash with me. It is apples and oranges, guys, because of how rapidly technology has advanced. You can't really even fairly compare it to the first years of Clinton's presidency. Think about where we were in early 1993, technology-wise. Now, I'm quite sure that the White House was far ahead of the everyday American, technology-wise, but I'd be willing to venture a guess that the everyday American had similar or better technological access as the powers that be in some of the third-world nations with whom Clinton needed to be in contact. In 1993, I got online via dialup on Compuserve. Only wealthy people had car phones. Very few people had truly mobile (as in you could take it out of the car) phones. A small handful of MAJOR corporations had e-mail, and it only worked for within-the-company e-mail. (My Compuserve account could only e-mail other Compuserve users.) It is entirely plausible that even Clinton needed to be in the White House most of the time if he wanted to be in contact with leaders of certain nations.

Heck, I can go to a camp in such a remote part of Colorado that we are told not to walk alone near sunrise or sunset due to the potential of mountain lion attacks and still be able to have a wireless internet connection via satellite today. Certainly Dubya can do everything he needs to do from the ranch. I'd be willing to bet that the next President, nor matter what party he or she is a member of, will end up spending a similar amount (if not more) time out of the White House as Dubya.

[rkmsuf]

this thread title would be a good porn movie name

[Swaggs]

I think the frustration is that, traditionally, a time of war calls for sacrifice from the people. Taking a month off just doesn't seem like the president is sacrificing.

But, we have to remember that the people knew what they were getting in the last election and voted for Bush anyway.

[HomerJSimpson]

Heck, I can go to a camp in such a remote part of Colorado that we are told not to walk alone near sunrise or sunset due to the potential of mountain lion attacks and still be able to have a wireless internet connection via satellite today. Certainly Dubya can do everything he needs to do from the ranch. I'd be willing to bet that the next President, nor matter what party he or she is a member of, will end up spending a similar amount (if not more) time out of the White House as Dubya.
[/size]


And that is where these attacks are short-sighted. When the next Democrat gets in office (which will never happen unless they stop obsessing on the minor), they are opening the doors to the same kind of attacks using asinine comparisons. This is the kind of petty political mudslinging that turns people off to the process, and mudles the really important issues.

[Blackadar]

Ya, I agree it's stupid politicking. Bush sucks, but let him go on vacation and suck there.

[flere-imsaho]

LOL, not bad.
Not a brilliant retort, but not bad for short notice either ;)

Well, I didn't have time for a diagram. ;)

[Logan]

And that is where these attacks are short-sighted. When the next Democrat gets in office (which will never happen unless they stop obsessing on the minor), they are opening the doors to the same kind of attacks using asinine comparisons. This is the kind of petty political mudslinging that turns people off to the process, and mudles the really important issues.

Well said.

[flere-imsaho]

Liberals: make up your mind. Every minute that Bush is on vacation is a minute that he's not fucking up America, right?

So why aren't you happy that he's on vacation?

I think I've already made my position clear.

[Galaxy]

Whats the difference between Clinton going to Camp David and Bush going to his ranch?

Whats the point of being in Washington now? Really. Congress and the Supreme Court is in recess. What can't he do in Texas that he can do in DC?

It's not like he's staying in at the Ranch. Next week, he is going to New Mexico.

[Galaxy]

Taking a month off just doesn't seem like the president is sacrificing.



He's not taking a month "off", hes just not working from the White House.

[sportsfan13]

Many people have said on this thread how irrelevant this topic is and doesn't deserve to be a discussion, yet they still felt the need to contribute on this thread. I guess it does deserve some sort of discussion if people keep commenting....

[sportsfan13]

And that is where these attacks are short-sighted. When the next Democrat gets in office (which will never happen unless they stop obsessing on the minor), they are opening the doors to the same kind of attacks using asinine comparisons. This is the kind of petty political mudslinging that turns people off to the process, and mudles the really important issues.

Oh my. Bush is "King Political Mudslinger". Did you watch the debates?

[Logan]

Many people have said on this thread how irrelevant this topic is and doesn't deserve to be a discussion, yet they still felt the need to contribute on this thread. I guess it does deserve some sort of discussion if people keep commenting....

Welcome to message boards.

There's been 70 posts on this topic, so let's just say for argument's sake that 35 people have a problem with Bush taking time off, and 35 people have said that it is irrelevant and shouldn't be discussed.

So if those who felt it was irrelevant decided instead not to post, that would leave 35 people talking about how terrible this is, and how it's such a travesty. That would mean anybody reading this topic would see everybody ripping on Bush, and no one defending this action.

[JonInMiddleGA]

So if those who felt it was irrelevant decided instead not to post, that would leave 35 people talking about how terrible this is, and how it's such a travesty. That would mean anybody reading this topic would see everybody ripping on Bush, and no one defending this action.

Y'know, there's actually a lot of truth in what you just posted IMO, and it isn't something limited to FOFC by any stretch of the imagination.

[HomerJSimpson]

Oh my. Bush is "King Political Mudslinger". Did you watch the debates?


Where did I say he wasn't? If you think it is wrong, why would you want to join in?

[CamEdwards]

I think I've already made my position clear.

You're assuming I need to read the thread to know what you're saying. :p

[Glengoyne]

much ado about nothing.

Even more ridiculous than the "blood for Oil" position.

[Buccaneer]

Oh boy...we get to do this again next year at the same time? And the year after...and the year after...etc.