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Bush
Begins Month-Long Vacation as Preparations are Made for War
President
Bush has left for another month-long August vacation at his 1,600 acre
Texas ranch. "In times of financial crisis and international
crisis, the public looks for hands-on, confident leadership," said
Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening, chairman of the Democratic Governor's
Association. "What we're going to see is every-other-day photo ops
from the ranch." In a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll last week, 44
percent of respondents agreed that four weeks is "too much time to
spend away from the White House," This year's vacation is just
slightly shorter than last year's, which tied a modern record for
presidential absence from the White House held by Richard Nixon at 30
days.
Administration
sensitive about Bush `vacation'
BY DAVID JACKSON
The Dallas Morning News
WASHINGTON
- (KRT) - As President
Bush prepares for another August in Crawford, aides are quick to argue
that this is not - repeat not - the "month-long vacation."
that is frequently reported.
For one thing, it's a
little less than a month: Bush leaves for Texas on Tuesday and returns
by Labor Day, Sept. 2.
For another, Bush plans
to spend about half those days at public events, either pushing
Republican candidates or speaking out on the economy and the war on
terrorism, two issues that have come to define his presidency.
The president "is
going to bring the White House with him to Crawford," said Bush
spokesman Ari Fleischer.
White House aides are
particularly sensitive to appearances this August, saying that critics
distorted the nature of his Crawford vacation last year, one that
included major decisions on stem cell research and military policy.
It was also during that
month that Bush received a briefing that raised the possibility of
terrorists hijacking airplanes, as happened Sept. 11. Bush aides angrily
denied suggestions that the ranch setting somehow reduced the
president's focus, calling the warning very general in nature.
But the length of time at
the ranch this year has provided an opening for some of the president's
critics.
Democratic National
Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe recently mocked Bush's retreat to
Crawford "with his dog Barney, walking around the cedar
trees."
Late night comedian David
Letterman devoted one of his lists to the "Top Ten Signs President
Bush Needs A Vacation." (Number 9: Asking al-Qaida not to do
anything until the end of August).
White House officials
were particularly riled by comments from Maryland Gov. Parris Glendening,
chairman of the Democratic Governor's Association. He said the Crawford
trip sends "the wrong signal."
"In times of
financial crisis and international crisis, the public looks for
hands-on, confident leadership," Glendening told the USA Today
editorial board last month. "What we're going to see is
every-other-day photo ops from the ranch."
Bush aides begged to
differ. They said the president would visit at least 15 cities in 11
states over the next four weeks, which they described as Bush's
"return to the heartland." Bush will also host an economic
forum in Waco and will welcome Mexico President Vicente Fox to the
ranch.
When all is said and
done, Bush will probably have about two weeks of actual vacation time -
"like most people," said Fleischer. He ascribed the criticism
to "the silliness of Washington."
"What I enjoy
pointing out to everybody is presidents are entitled to take
vacation," Fleischer said. "And people in Washington, I
suppose, are entitled to take potshots."
Some political analysts
agreed with Fleischer, noting that Congress is also taking August off.
Stephen Hess, who worked in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations,
said those presidents took long vacations and no one said anything about
it.
Hess attributed criticism
of presidential vacations to the "sourness, cynicism, and
skepticism that just covers politics" from both practitioners and
the press.
"It's such a phony
issue," he said. "It really is. I mean, what is not being done
that otherwise would be done?"
Presidential historian
Robert Dallek, a critic of Bush, said his reputation for being
less-than-interested in the details of government is reinforced by the
length of time he likes to spend out of Washington.
"There's a feeling
that is where he would prefer to be, on his ranch," Dallek said.
In a CNN/USA Today/Gallup
poll last week, 44 percent of respondents agreed that four weeks is
"too much time to spend away from the White House," while 53
percent disagreed with that statement.
White House aides
acknowledged that attacks on presidential vacations have been a
bi-partisan exercise. Republicans mocked President Clinton because his
pollsters asked about possible vacation spots.
Democrats got after
Bush's father for his vacations in tony Kennebunkport, saying he seemed
to care more racing his cigarette boat than revving up the economy.
While the younger Bush
spent this past weekend at his parents' compound in Kennebunkport,
Maine, his Texas vacation won't begin until later this week.
On Monday, Bush will
travel to Pittsburgh for a variety of events before returning to
Washington. He will undergo a physical and sign free trade legislation
Tuesday before heading to the ranch that afternoon. He will visit
Mississippi for a fundraiser on Wednesday, and then plans to take the
rest of the week off.
As Bush prepares again
for August in Crawford, his aides have gone out of their way to describe
it as a "working vacation." Some said they were doing so
because they believe critics and reporters distorted White House plans
of a year ago.
While that too was
defined as a month-long vacation, Bush spent part of his first week
outlining a long-awaited policy on federal help for stem cell research.
Later that August, he appointed Gen. Richard B. Myers as chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.
In addition to hanging
out at his ranch, Bush will spend this August talking about what aides
called three types of security: financial security, national security
and homeland security. He also has education and free trade events
planned.
Reports about corporate
corruption and the sliding stock market inspired an Aug. 13 economic
forum at Baylor University that will feature Cabinet members, business
people, small investors, union members and ethicists.
Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld is scheduled to visit the ranch the week of Aug. 19 to discuss
the war on terrorism and military reform, aides said. Immigration and
trade will likely be on the agenda when Mexican President Fox comes
calling the next week.
And of course, Bush could
be called to act on breaking news - a distinct possibility given the
war, unrest in the Middle East and the volatility in the stock market.
Said one aide: "Most
people know that when you're president of the United States, you're
24/7."
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