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Bush on Vacation 2001 Download
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Performance Review:
Bush takes the longest vacation since Richard Nixon
He has a tiny pile of 'reading' to do (note in the video).
Why wasn't he more involved in running the country?
Can we afford a slacker President? In a War????
Why isn't he working overtime thinking about the threats to the United States and how to deal with them?
08/03/2001 - Updated 12:02 PM ET
White House to move to Texas for a while
By Laurence McQuillan, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Six months after taking office, President Bush will begin a month-long vacation Saturday that is significantly longer than the average American's annual getaway. If Bush returns as scheduled on Labor Day, he'll tie the modern record for presidential absence from the White House, held by Richard Nixon at 30 days. Ronald Reagan took trips as long as 28 days.
White House officials point out that the president is never off the clock. They refer to the 30 days at his Texas ranch — now it's called the Western White House — as a working vacation. He'll receive daily national security updates and handle the duties of the Oval Office from his 1,583-acre spread near Crawford.
But some Republican loyalists worry about critics who say Bush lets Vice President Cheney and other top officials do most of the work. They're also concerned about the reaction of the average American, who gets 13 vacation days each year.
"It can foster other images," says William Benoit, a professor of political communication at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "Maybe he's lazy, maybe he's not determined. It feeds into the impression that he's not in charge."
Bush, who is scheduled to return to Washington on Sept. 3, is taking his vacation while Congress is in recess. Cheney will be in Wyoming.
By going to his ranch, Bush follows the escape pattern of most recent presidents. The first President Bush spent vacations at the family compound in Kennebunkport, Maine. Ronald Reagan enjoyed his ranch near Santa Barbara, Calif. Jimmy Carter spent most vacations at home in Plains, Ga. Gerald Ford preferred a condominium he owned in Vail, Colo.
Bill Clinton, who had no home in Arkansas, was the exception. Most years, he used friends' homes in tony getaways such as Martha's Vineyard, Mass. He was the only president known to use polling data to plan a vacation. He went to Wyoming in 1995 and 1996 after hiking and camping were found to be favored activities among key swing voters.