"His shortest summer vacation since taking office" (10 days in Crawford)

[Human Torch]

With violence boiling in the Middle East and his party's control of Congress up for grabs in elections this fall, Bush is forgoing his typical monthlong break from the White House. Instead, he planned to spend 10 days in Crawford, Texas, before returning to work in Washington — his shortest summer vacation since taking office.

The White House was taking pains to make sure it didn't appear that the president was tuned out from the world's problems, even temporarily. Bush's national security adviser and secretary of state were to arrive at the ranch Saturday to discuss a diplomatic resolution to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.

---SNIP--

The president plans to return to his ranch near the end of the month for a few days. But that trip is scheduled to be interrupted with other travel away from Texas, including a visit to the Gulf Coast to mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

Bush has faced criticism every year for the time he spends at his ranch, but never as much as last year. Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast while Bush was away and eventually prompted him to cut his vacation short. And anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan and thousands of her sympathizers camped outside the ranch to draw attention to the mounting deaths in Iraq. Sheehan intends to return this summer — this time to a five-acre lot that she bought seven miles away from the ranch. The site is a few yards from a sign picturing the president giving a thumbs-up sign that welcomes visitors to Crawford.



President Bush walks across the South Lawn of the White House to board his helicopter for the short flight to Andrews Air Force Base, Md., then on to Texas, Thursday, Aug. 3, 2006. The president is taking his shortest summer vacation at his ranch, but with turmoil in the Middle East and an uncertain future for his Republican Party in fall elections, he plans to return to Washington in just nine days, a contrast to previous summers when he has been away nearly the entire month. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060803/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_vacation

[Doctor_J]

1. what a trooper

let's make him a saint. Fucking loser. All he's done for the last two months is fundraisers and photo-ops. What the fuck does he need a vacation for?

[hatrack]

2. Yes, yes, let us all weep for the poor overworked Chimp!!

Fucking tragic, huh?

[the observationist]

3. LOL.

I saw a news clip about this earlier today and I was sitting there thinking what in the world is going one. Larry King is interviewing Sec of State Rice and he asked her if Prez Bush has called PM Olmert about the new war. She side stepped the issue, but basically said there was no need for him to call the PM for them to know that we stand beside them in the war on terror. blah, blah, blah. So Bush doesn't have time to call the PM of a nation at war, but he has time to go on a ten day vacation. When is the last time you have gone on a ten day vacation? I haven't been on one that long in at least four years or so. I could go on and on, but this is another example of ineptitude.

[think4yourself]

6. Saw that too

My jaw dropped.

[ComerPerro]

4. His is truly the administration of lowered expectations

we should praise him because there hasn't been a second 9/11 (nevermind that there shouldn't have even been ONE 9/11)

we should praise him because the deficit is not as much as we thought it might be (of course, Clinton had surpluses and didn't have the luxury of having items like military spending off the budget)

and now we should praise him because the lazy bastard is taking a slightly shorter vacation than he usually does (while still getting more vacation than an average working American)?????

[OwnedByFerrets]

5. "Its hard work being the

Decider" :puke:

[Tinksrival]

7. I read somewhere today that it is more like 5 weeks.

That he'll be skipping around to Crawford, Kennybunkford, and Camp David, then back to Crawford. Tip toeing around Cindy and sprinkling some photo-ops and fund raisers here and there.

[az chela]

8. Just got an email from Cindy ,she is in Waco today and spent the

afternoon in court trying to get the ruling in her favor to use the road to bush's ranch to use for camping and parking .I believe the judge will make a decision tomorrow