White House on Crawford trip: "Call it something other than a vacation"

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Bush says it's no vacation at his Crawford ranch
By JULIE MASON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau
Aug. 6, 2005, 9:52PM

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/nation/3298735

WASHINGTON - President Bush has decamped to Crawford. Call it something other than a vacation, says the White House. Just talking about what the administration calls a non-vacation makes Bush sputter like his father did. "I have a busy couple of weeks down there, and I have a lot — going to have meetings with people who come — from my administration who come down, the economic people," Bush said last week. "(Donald) Rumsfeld and his team; Condi (Rice) will come down."

White House officials are touchy about criticism of Bush's traditional August break, because most Americans don't get five weeks of vacation a year, nor do they have access to Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where Bush sometimes spends weekends. So they call the ranch the Western White House and say that modern communications allow the president to stay in close contact with key aides and maintain a regular work schedule.

Never a big fan of Washington, Bush much prefers his 1,600-acre ranch, where he can clear brush, toodle around in his truck and ride his mountain bike far from the hassles and scrutiny of the capital.

"I'm looking forward to getting down there and just kind of settling in. I'll be doing a lot of work; on the other hand, I'll also be kind of making sure my Texas roots run deep," Bush said last week. In all, Bush has made 49 trips to Crawford for a total of about 325 days since he took office. At this clip, Bush will surpass the vacation record of President Reagan, who tallied up 436 days in his two terms.

[oldtime dfl_er]

1. and by the way, the MSM is bending over for this

Don't recall the broadcast but yesterday someone somewhere did a piece on how actually dubya will be very busy with the nation's business -- and then listed a few desultory events next week, with great breathlessness.

http://www.cafepress.com/scarebaby/658010

[City Lights]

10. IIRC, they've done the same in the past.

People make a stink about all his time off, and suddnely it becomes a "working" vacation. :eyes:

[Contrary1]

2. "...making sure my Texas roots run deep." ???

Lights, camera, action!

[rasputin1952]

11. That's what I was thinking !!! He's a transplant....he HAS no roots in TX

This clown can't get ANYTHING straight!!!!!!:grr:

[acmavm]

14. Man, that was the very first thing about this article that really struck

me. He's so stupid, not only can he not form a coherent sentence but he can't tell the difference between Conneticutt and Texas.

[TheCowsCameHome]

23. I was born in the same city and hospital as W

And that's no where near Texas, partner.

[blondeatlast]

16. "Kennebunkport, the heart of the hard prairie."

:eyes:

[MaineDem]

19. Please, he's not from Maine either

His family has a summer home here. That's it. We can't nor do we want to claim him!

[WMliberal]

20. "like the time I was rejected from Texas law school.

Or that time I developed a southern accent shared by neither of my brothers. Yup, they're shallow right now so's I gotta put some fertalizer down to meke them look like they've been there furever."

[deadparrot]

3. Let up on George...it's hard work!

He's workin' hard!

[quinnox]

4. Jesus - what a phony

"Yea, I'm just a simple Texas cowboy, I wasn't born with no silver spoon in my mouth and groomed for power since I was a kid, no sireee! Uh, and my Dad was only president for one term, see, so that don't count. YEE-HAWWWW"

[merh]

5. bumper sticker!

Bush Vacations

While Our Troops Die

:nuke: :mad: :nuke:

[stray cat]

6. Bush is on vacation but "on call"

In my line of work thats still a vacation. If all hell breaks lose I will still get a phone call or e-mail.

[enough]

7. Yikes, what has happened to him?

He looks as if he's shriveling or wizzening away.

[uppityperson]

8. How about he just gives up the hard presidency work in DC?

If it's too hard, he should just quit and spend all his time clearing brush, running his Texan roots deep, toodling around in his truck, riding his bike and meeting with people who come down. Maybe he'd have time for Cindy Sheehan if he didn't have all that pesky DC work to think about.

[Spinzonner]

9. They have a point

It's a place for Bush to get away from his responsibilities and ignore important briefings

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. Camp David, where Bush sometimes spends weekends?

How about every fucking weekend when he's not in Crawford, and it seems lately a lot of time during the week too for all those bike rides.

What a worthless sack of shit.

[MO_Dem]

15. Yep!

I think the correct thing to write would be that he needs a vacation from all that commuting back and forth from Camp David to D.C.

[Vickers]

13. C'mon, y'all, he's presidenteerin' !!!

:crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy::crazy:

[gratuitous]

17. Okay, don't want to call it a vacation?

How about hiding out? Laying low? Ducking his responsibilities? Bravely running away? Cowering in fear? Crying like a little pussy?

Yeah, "vacation" just sounds so . . . pedestrian. And not truly descriptive at all.

[blm]

18. And for 40 years he preferred exclusive subdivision living w/golf course

and country club.

His newest "preference" only came about in 2000...coinciding with his BULLSHIT campaign to BULLSHIT the American people and the media who feeds the public his BULLSHIT.

[WMliberal]

21. he started building the ranch in 96.

He had to give the pretext that he'd lived there awhile afore runnin fer President.

[blm]

27. 96 is when they started his 2000 campaign. 92 is when they decided to run.

.

[TheCowsCameHome]

22. Why not call it "Retirement" and stay there for good.

That would be good for everyone.

[Penndems]

24. If he's "no big fan of Washington", why did he bother running

for President in the first place?

Guess he didn't get the memo saying that's where the White House and the rest of the U.S. Government is located. :sarcasm:

[Janice325]

25. What an asshole.

eom

[tinfoilinfor2005]

26. Whatever he is, he's no Southerner...

Southern hospitality would never allow for him to leave his visitors sleeping in a ditch on the side of the road.
If he's searching for his "roots" I can send him some literature on the scoundrels that inhabit his ancestral root cellar. Very long list on both sides.

[tk2kewl]

28. How about: DERELICTION OF DUTY

[DeepModem Mom]

29. kick