Dubya takes 1 yr vacation?
 

Who's on Base? This morning, Good Morning America released this embarrassing fact:

George W. Bush has taken 342 vacation days since his 5 yrs in August. He took a 5wk working vacation on his ranch in Texas. This is his 49th trip there. That's nearly 1 yr. He has taken nearly 1 in every 5 days off.

The State of the Union. Hmmmmmm. That explains it.

ETA: updated link: http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1...C-RSSFeeds0312

I wish I had that many vacation days. :( I'd even settle for as much vacation time as the Europeans get!

As I recall, he took a month off within a couple of weeks of his first inaguration.

We all need jobs like that.

Ok, it's well known around here that I can't stand the guy, but is a "working vacation" really a vacation? Isn't it more like "working from home"? I don't think any president really gets a vacation ever. At the least, they are always on call.

I have to agree with you on this one. He is still traveling around the country to make speeches. I am sure this is more than a working vacation, he is the leader of the US. I can cut him some slack here. He is under SOOOOO much scrutiny because of Iraq, leaking of CIA information, and so many other things....I would get the hell out of dodge. At least the most "screwing" around he has done on vacation is ride his mountain bike. At least as far as I can tell.

But then again, this is only my opinion...I am sure we all disagree or agree to a point. ;)

Same here.

Yeah, I don't think "vacation" for a President is exactly what you and I call vacation. He's going to his ranch in Texas to do the same things he would do in the White House....just from Texas. It's not like he's leaves his residence and says "Ok guys, i'll be back in a month. You take care of my stuff while i'm gone."

I have no problem with the president working from wherever he wants. If he wants to be in Texas then whatev, no skin off my nose.

I wish I had that many vacation days :(

I still have yet to get ANY vacation from my current job!

He can be President--and have a full load of responsibilities--wherever he goes. He's always on call, and he's never really "off." If I'm not mistaken, a staff goes with him and he's briefed daily just as he is in Washington. I don't feel any less safe with him in Texas.

So, big deal if he works from home the equivalent of one day a week.

These were my thoughts exactly. I know the Presidency is a very stressful job - every President leaves office with a full head of grey hair that they didn't have before they went into office. I wouldn't want to do it. To be honest, I would expect him to take at least 1-2 personal days per month, but I think 1 in every 5 days is excessive. You never know, perhaps the media is miscontruing this, but instead of calling it a working vacation, maybe he should just say - I'll be working out of my Tx office or something because it certainly looks bad considering the state that our country is in right now that he has taken almost a yr off. When I saw this, I could not help but to think of Fahrenheit 9/11.

JMO.

I'd rather W be getting away from DC and the beltway attitude, than staying in the White House abusing cigars with Monica like Hillary's husband (?) did.

How do you know he's not???? :p Perhaps his "Monica" just knows how to keep her mouth shut. ....:o

If she kept her mouth shut, then she couldn't be a Monica, now, could she? ;)

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As for President Bush's vacation, I agree with the posters who said that it isn't a vacation in the sense of "let's just go lay on the beach and do nothing".

Being President is, I would imagine, very much like being the Pope. You're on the job 24/7, no matter what. I don't think it's like President Bush has turned off his cell phone :)

"The state that our country is in...taking a year off"

I really do think some of us need to stop allowing the "news" to do our thinking for us. No president is ever on vacation. It isn't like he's on a beach sipping drinks and napping.

This man wakes up every morning at 4:30 gets all his reports and works where he is. Just b/c he happens to be in Texas and not at congress' front door doesn't mean he isn't working. I think the man can take a bike ride and get out of the office for a little.

In today's computer savvy world he is only a click away from DC, not to mention the red button! I don't think any president needs to be in the oval office 100% of the time to do his job.

It amazes me that if anyone really thinks we are in such a bad state that this is what everyone is up in arms about.