Newsweek: Rove spent August "living in a trailer" near Bush's pig farm

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

Hurricane Politics
As Katrina forced President Bush to cut short his vacation, the White House is facing a perfect storm of trouble at home and abroad.

WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Richard Wolffe and Holly Bailey
Newsweek
Updated: 5:59 p.m. ET Aug. 31, 2005

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9148526/site/newsweek/

Aug. 31, 2005 - On Tuesday, President Bush called an abrupt end to his five-week “working vacation” at his Texas ranch and announced he would return to the White House two days early to oversee federal response to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. “These are trying times for the people of these communities,” Bush said Tuesday during a visit to a naval base in San Diego. “We have a lot of work to do.”

For the White House, it was interesting timing. Over the last month, administration officials have deflected criticism of Bush’s monthlong stay at his Texas ranch by making the case that technology has made it possible for Bush to run the country from anywhere, even the so-called Western White House. Indeed, the Bush ranch is equipped with highly secure videoconferencing equipment and phones, and, according to White House officials, Bush has made use of them just about every day this month to talk to senior aides back in Washington and other administration officials scattered throughout the country.

Yet Bush usually hasn’t had to go far to reach his top aides. For the last month, Karl Rove, his closest political adviser, and Joe Hagin, Bush’s deputy chief of staff, have alternated turns living in a trailer just down the driveway from Bush’s main ranch house. Other officials have come to the ranch to meet with Bush face to face, including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Vice President Dick Cheney. All three visited Crawford to discuss war strategy with Bush earlier this month. In other words, Bush’s days in Texas aren’t all that different from his time in the Oval Office, top aides say. Vacation or not, Bush is always running the country no matter where he is. “When you’re president, you’re president 24/7,” White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan told reporters Wednesday.

So why is Bush going back to Washington now? When asked yesterday what Bush could do in Washington for hurricane relief that he couldn’t do from his Texas ranch, McClellan told reporters no less than five times that it was the president’s “preference” to return to the White House. Asked if the decision was more “symbolic” than logistical, McClellan said, “I disagree with the characterization.”

[rosesaylavee]

1. ...more “symbolic” than logistical...

Ha. I can't imagine what he would be symbolic of - possibly a human.

[Webster Green]

2. A trailer?

Gimme a break. I want pics. Can''t imagine Rove roughin' it too much.

Somehow, that sounds really wierd. I don't believe anything they say, since they lie about everything.

[OneTwentyoNine]

3. Crooked SOB should be living in a Van...Down by the river.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

7. And you KNOW I thought about that one while posting...

:toast:

[Rude Horner]

10. Dammit, that's what I was gonna post!

In a van, down by the river. Smokin' doobies. :rofl:

[Arkana]

16. "...when you're livin' in a VAN DOWN BY THE RIVER!"

I loved that Chris Farley character.

[madeline_con]

15. He wouldn't be very motivational even then.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. Shrub's version of "standing in a corner".... works for me....

[ThoughtCriminal]

5. Really which perpendicular dimension

do WH Press Secretaries come from? “I disagree with the characterization.” Who else talks like this?

[madeline_con]

17. That's politicospeak for "Shit, you've got me there!"

The crooked have a class they attend where they learn crap like that. It's supposed to sound intelligent. To FREEKERS.

[TerdlowSmedley]

6. Is anyone else disgusted by all the fawning reports of how Bush

"cut short his vacation"? Never mind that it's an obscenely long war-time vacation cut short only two days by the greatest natural disaster in American history. CNN also reported that the government is "already" formulating a plan for federal aid to the area. Gee, big of them to move so quickly, only three days into this.

[mzteris]

8. @hole

should have flown back on Sunday - Monday latest!!

I hate all of them with every fiber of my being.

[Spangle]

13. You mean how he "RUSHED"

back to the WH days after the event? And how it was repeated over and over again how he "RUSHED" so that the word became sicking?

Trying to rewrite history?

[madeline_con]

18. Yes! Even my Repug coworker is disgusted!

There's hope yet.

[applegrove]

9. Does not surprise. Rove has got to keep "complete control" over

this "thinking" he has created in Bush.

[madeline_con]

19. It's funny, he can't let him out of his sight, for fear....

of what kind of bull he might pull in Crawdad. :rofl:

[dogman]

11. Where was Jeff?

Christie or G/G

[faithnotgreed]

12. anyone listening to aar/sam seder

he has stephen elliot on and he just described this majorly weird moment he had with karl rove in nyc last year
maybe at rnc

said rove was surrounded by people/press clamoring for his attention and wasnt giving them any attention
stephen elliot was leaning against a building off to the side of the crowd and he said rove walked by and stopped (cue western showdown music) and said to him "nice computer"

stephen said this was really weird because there was no reason for him to pay any attention tohim when there were all these other people wanting his attention

and he said rove undressed him with his eyes
so very ugh
i didnt even want to type that last part

[madeline_con]

14. “We have a lot of work to do.”

First of all, this makes me want to :puke: every time he says it, which is every time he makes a speech.

Second, the little freak knows how it looks to be chilling at the "ranch" while people are dying on the Gulf Coast, even though what little he does probably could be accomplished from the sty.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

20. Did he watch Jerry Springer , get a tatoo and eat Kraftt Mac nCheese?n/t

[Julius Civitatus]

21. Doesn't Bush have a guest room in Rancho Pendejo?

Not even for Turd Blossom?

:shrug:

[paineinthearse]

22. Photo: KKKarla Rove loves her Crawford trailer