Bush takes his 49th vacation in 6 years

Bush left the White House this past Tuesday for a 5 week vacation. The longest presidential retreat in the past 36 years. This will be hus 49th trip to his Crawford Ranch. During his total time of service as pres, he has spent 20% of it at the ranch.

WACO, Tex., Aug. 2 -- President Bush is getting the kind of break most Americans can only dream of -- nearly five weeks away from the office, loaded with vacation time.

The president departed Tuesday for his longest stretch yet away from the White House, arriving at his Crawford ranch in the evening for a stretch of clearing brush, visiting with family and friends, and tending to some outside-the-Beltway politics. By historical standards, it is the longest presidential retreat in at least 36 years.

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.

washingtonpost.com

In the past 6 years of my work experience, I have taken maybe 3 real vacations. This is pretty amazing. I'm sure that the job of the president is a bit stressful, but this is pretty ridiculous. I would imagine that a decent amount of his time spent at the ranch is working, but who knows?

ed. to shorten link

[edit on 5-8-2005 by DontTreadOnMe]

Well I am going to quote him "It's hard work"

I swear if I hear him saying one more time. WHAT did he expect?

Yes, well we all know that other presidents like Carter's presidency didn't have any stress in it.

Bush has also said that he is in bed by 9 every night too and sleeps well.

Obvioulsy not too troubled by the prospect of all the irrepriable harm he has done.

Well I am happy to see he is getting all his beauty sleep and fun filled vacations while the rest of us worry about how long our health insurance will last, will we have a job tomorrow, will there be a planet tomorrow. But I would not want him to feel stressed of course.

Good For Dear George.

He Needs his Rest after those Hard Months in the Office and after all the GOOD Work that he has Done for His Country and for the World Peace.

And its SUmmer time - the time of Vacations and Relaxation and the President is also a Man, not a Machine youknow?

Isn't this the time of Bogemian Groove Gathering also?

Damn - so many things to do, and so little time.....

Thanks to our Presidents economic policies; my job was outsourced so I get to enjoy a very long vacation. Thanks Mr. President.

Only five weeks holiday.
Can he make it about 180 weeks that would see his presidency out.
hehehehehehe

It wouldn't be summer without a story complaining about presidential vacations, especially if that president is a Republican. The Washington press corps especially hates Bush because he goes to the middle of nowhere in Texas (which they hate) and they're stuck there too.

The fact is the president can do anything in Crawford that he can do in the White House, he's never truly on vacation.

DJ, normally I'd agree with you that people complain too much about stuff like this. But 49 "vacation" trips in just 6 years??? Even if some of them are spent "working" or not...well, that's just ridiculous.

I'm sure they're including weekend trips and things like that, plus campaign trips etc. The press does everything it can to inflate the figure. Plus he's been there many times just long enough to host a foreign leader, supposedly a more meaningful gesture than hosting them at the White House.


[edit on 8/5/2005 by djohnsto77]

Originally posted by mpeake
DJ, normally I'd agree with you that people complain too much about stuff like this. But 49 "vacation" trips in just 6 years??? Even if some of them are spent "working" or not...well, that's just ridiculous.

They are all spent working. Unlike normal people, a President cannot delegate decisions to others in his absence. Unlike normal people, the President does not get a "day off."

He still gets daily briefs, still has complete comms capability with anyone, and still gets the same phone calls he would have gotten at the White House.

About all he is missing out on are the endless visits he gets from members of Congress, visiting diplomats, the press, etc.

Think about this,

I remember the last 6 presidents, Curious George is the only one of the six who has not visably aged dramaticly after entering office.

Heres the thing.... When his dad arranged his place in the S&L George and his 2 brothers ran it into bankrupsy and George took no heat for it, when his dad bought him the Texas Rangers he did not take it seriously and ran them into the ground, When his dads advisors arranged him to beat out Ann Richards for the Texas Governership he did not take it seriously and ran Texas into the ground, See a pattern here?

I say take let him take the rest of his tenure off and call it an even 50. I think we would do better without him, unless that means leaving Cheney in charge, which would be worse.

Ghaa…we can’t win.

Bush has also said that he is in bed by 9 every night too and sleeps well.

Otherwise he sleeps too late and misses Sesame Street...

Doesn't even seem like 6 years. Sheesh has the time gone by.


"You forgot Poland"

You guys are just silly.

You work Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM (or 8AM to 5PM), and you get Saturday and Sunday off (or any other 5 day work week). Or, you work swing shifts where you do 3 12's 1 off 2 12's 3 off. Etc. Most of the people that work at the White House (regardless of which party is in power) work 6 days a week, are up at 5AM and go home at 7 or 8PM on a slow day. And even then, they can be called in at any time, without notice, from any event.

Do you call your Saturday and Sunday "holidays"? Any time Clinton took 2 days to go fishing or golfing it was a "holiday", or anytime Bush goes to his ranch for 2 days it's a "holiday". I guess it's just fun to bash the President and that's why it's done so often, regardless of whom is in office.

Originally posted by Gazrok

Bush has also said that he is in bed by 9 every night too and sleeps well.

Otherwise he sleeps too late and misses Sesame Street...

Originally posted by CatHerder
You guys are just silly.

And your post about blowing 2 day holidays out of proportion would be applicable if this wasn't a 33 day vacation.

It's a working vaction, they always are, and you all know it.
It's still fun to bash the winner of the last election though, isn't it?

Originally posted by CatHerder
You guys are just silly.

You work Monday to Friday, 9AM to 5PM (or 8AM to 5PM), and you get Saturday and Sunday off (or any other 5 day work week). Or, you work swing shifts where you do 3 12's 1 off 2 12's 3 off. Etc. Most of the people that work at the White House (regardless of which party is in power) work 6 days a week, are up at 5AM and go home at 7 or 8PM on a slow day. And even then, they can be called in at any time, without notice, from any event.

Do you call your Saturday and Sunday "holidays"? Any time Clinton took 2 days to go fishing or golfing it was a "holiday", or anytime Bush goes to his ranch for 2 days it's a "holiday". I guess it's just fun to bash the President and that's why it's done so often, regardless of whom is in office.

I see. If I assume a regular person who does a less important job who gets paid less, has a five-day work week, and a standard 5-day vacation period a year, during a five-year time span will get around 545 days off of work.

The President of the United States, who is paid a salary of $400,000 a year and is working allegedly the most important job of the "free world" is now getting off over 600 days in a five-year time span if you count vacation days away from a standard six day work-week schedule. Tack onto that an alleged daily midday two-hour exercise routine and all that time spent at the office isn't so long.

My calculation is assuming Bush takes no further vacation days this year after this latest vacation. If another vacation period happens this year, add onto the 600+ mark.

For such an important duty to be employed in, it seems to be a tad more relaxed than its made out to be by the person currently occupying the position. Especially given the events that surround this presidency.

[edit on 6-8-2005 by Frith]