Presidential holiday
Monday, August 23, 2004
Presidential holiday
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER EDITORIAL BOARD
The White House says it's not a vacation. But President
Bush's trip to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, is reported by
the White House as "down time" or as a sanctuary where he
can hone his speech for the Republican National
Convention.
CBS Radio's Mark Knoller has kept score. He says it's
Bush's 38th visit to the ranch, a paid-time-off tally that
comes out to 254 days. "That's about 20 percent of his
presidency," Knoller reports. "Add in his time at Camp
David and the Bush family home in Kennebunkport,
Maine, and the percentage more than doubles. And the
White House is self-conscious about it."
Knoller says it's "unfair" to call this a vacation but "it's
certainly a vacation atmosphere."
The president deserves time for a little reflection. At least,
he doesn't conduct a poll to see where he should go (a Bill
Clinton trick).
Still, this is America where folks work harder and longer
than most other cultures. But things change. If the
president keeps up this non-vacation vacation pace,
perhaps a second-term Bush could advocate for a
European-style monthlong holiday. Vie merveilleuse!
seattlepi.nwsource.com |
