Bush sets record-longest vacation in recent history

[sodaseller]

I disagree. He blames tax policy, not labor policy, for France's disasterous unemployment rate. Which I notice you haven't really commented on.

You can argue cultural and legal pressures all you want. That doesn't change the reality of the unemployment rates, and the lack of choice.

Never heard of Lochner. Care to enlighten me?

He blames both, though I am sure he would hold tax policy to be the biggest bogeyman. But since Krugman mentioned hours worked, he doesn't get to it till the end. No doubt that he thinks there is nothing more important than lowering the top rates so that the lower classes can work harder - that's for sure. For one, it makes it possible to hire more domestic help.

Of course, he can be free of the crushing oppression by moving to Iraq - no real tax rates to speak of, and no regulation. Nothing holding back that entrepreneurial spiri. Plenty of other jurisdictions are similarly enlightened

And you're missing the point - those unemployed are not at issue in whether those employed work 35 or 40 hours. The effect is almost nil. It was a nonpoint in terms of that issue, which is why Krugman logically handled it as such, speaking of in terms of the overall society. Of course, we don't really try to maximize employment either, and we have many more employees at low wages

Lochner v. New York - 1905 USSC decision upholding "freedom of contract" to permit workers to bargain away overtime, etc. Move back to that prelapsaruian pure state

 

[Professor Mouse]

Here is an amusing editoral on Bush's vacation.BUSH VACATIONS WHILE SOLDIERS DIE

DETROIT -- The worst commander in chief in American history is relaxing, escaping from reality, and enjoying his five-week vacation down on the ranch. Maybe he should spend a little time reviewing his war plan for prevailing in Iraq, thinking of a way to end the carnage and get U.S. troops home safely.

Such a review is clearly in order, but don't count on this commander in chief questioning his own judgments and actually considering the possibility that he's made horrible mistakes and miscalculations.

The war in Iraq is all about politics, and George W. Bush practices the politics of Karl Rove.

Change the focus. Change the debate. Confuse and conquer. Call what you're doing something else. But even when the overwhelming evidence points to grievous error, never admit it.

This political strategy also fits well with Bush's substance-damaged personality. Decades of serious and admitted alcohol abuse -- along with suspected, yet so far unacknowledged, cocaine use -- leave a muddled, damaged mind, incapable of reflective thinking. Two other failed commanders in chief -- Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon -- had similar substance abuse issues, megalomania and personalities that closed their minds to the grim facts of their disastrous war plans.

Bush is taking five weeks off but our troops still have to fight.

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Here is an amusing editoral on Bush's vacation.BUSH VACATIONS WHILE SOLDIERS DIE Bush is taking five weeks off but our troops still have to fight.

Real amusing.

Just the opinion of another leftist who hates our President. Not worth reading. Sounds like you agree with it. How sad.

 

[toto2]

The Washington Post reported that if you add up all the time Bush has spent in Texas, he's there for a whole month. Then you add up all the time he spends at Camp David, and his parents house in Maine and add up all the travel time getting to and from these places, and it adds up to 42 percent of his presidency. In fact, he'd actually have to win a second term just to complete his first term." —Jay Leno

"How many of you get a month vacation? Well President Bush will be getting his month-long vacation. The White House is calling it a 'working vacation.' And I am thinking, well that pretty much describes the entire presidency, doesn't it? ... Bush says he is going to be very active, he plans to exercise every day. And he says he exercise every day because it clears his head. Hey, mission accomplished." —David Letterman

"You never see Bush in the Oval Office. He's always playing golf, or he's riding a horse in Texas, or he's playing tennis. You know? I can't tell if he's president or filming a feminine hygiene commercial." —Jay Leno

"As the Democrats get revved up at their convention in Boston, President Bush is fighting back the only way he knows how: by going on vacation! Ah, it's nice to take a rest, replenish your supply of smirks. The vacation was expected, because Bush traditionally takes a month off every summer to relax and avoid reading National Security Warnings." —Craig Kilborn

"Homeland Security has warned of possible summer attacks by Al Qaeda. And it must be pretty serious because President Bush has already ignored three memos about this." —David Letterman

"A White House spokesmen said he fell because it's been raining a lot and the top soil is loose. We went ahead and looked up the rain for real in Crawford, Texas. May 15th, 0.0 inches of rain. May 16th, 0.0 inches of rain. 17th no rain. 18th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd no rain. First he chokes on a pretzel; now he fell off his bike. Mr. President, when are you going to admit that Laura is abusing you? There is no shame in being a battered husband." —Jimmy Kimmel

"President Bush earned $400,000 for his job as president last year. That's not really that much for being president when you think about it. But President Bush, he doesn't do it for the money, he does it for the eight months of vacation every year." —Jay Leno

"President Bush stopped off at a bass pro fishing store to pick up a fishing reel, some line and some rubber worms. He's going to disappear and go fishing. So he must think he's back in the National Guard." —Jay Leno

 

[Tigger_Magic]

Bush is taking five weeks off but our troops still have to fight.

Some "vacation" ... travels to NM to sign an energy bill, meeting today with economic team, holding press conferences, holding other meetings. What's truly amusing is watching people who actually believe the President -- any President -- gets a true vacation.

 

[Professor Mouse]

Some "vacation" ... travels to NM to sign an energy bill, meeting today with economic team, holding press conferences, holding other meetings. What's truly amusing is watching people who actually believe the President -- any President -- gets a true vacation.

But he is too busy to meet with Cindy Sheehan who is camping just outside of his ranch. Of the Many Deaths in Iraq, One Mother's Loss Becomes a Problem for the President

CRAWFORD, Tex., Aug. 7 - President Bush draws antiwar protesters just about wherever he goes, but few generate the kind of attention that Cindy Sheehan has since she drove down the winding road toward his ranch here this weekend and sought to tell him face to face that he must pull all Americans troops out of Iraq now.

Ms. Sheehan's son, Casey, was killed last year in Iraq, after which she became an antiwar activist. She says she and her family met with the president two months later at Fort Lewis in Washington State.

But when she was blocked by the police a few miles from Mr. Bush's 1,600-acre spread on Saturday, the 48-year-old Ms. Sheehan of Vacaville, Calif., was transformed into a news media phenomenon, the new face of opposition to the Iraq conflict at a moment when public opinion is in flux and the politics of the war have grown more complicated for the president and the Republican Party.

Ms. Sheehan has vowed to camp out on the spot until Mr. Bush agrees to meet with her, even if it means spending all of August under a broiling sun by the dusty road. Early on Sunday afternoon, 25 hours after she was turned back as she approached Mr. Bush's ranch, Prairie Chapel, Ms. Sheehan stood red-faced from the heat at the makeshift campsite that she says will be her home until the president relents or leaves to go back to Washington. A reporter from The Associated Press had just finished interviewing her. CBS was taping a segment on her. She had already appeared on CNN, and was scheduled to appear live on ABC on Monday morning. Reporters from across the country were calling her cellphone.

"It's just snowballed," Ms. Sheehan said beside a small stand of trees and a patch of shade that contained a sleeping bag, some candles, a jar of nuts and a few other supplies. "We have opened up a debate in the country."

Seeking to head off exactly the situation that now seems to be unfolding, the administration sent two senior officials out from the ranch on Saturday afternoon to meet with her. But Ms. Sheehan said after talking to the officials - Stephen J. Hadley, the national security adviser, and Joe Hagin, a deputy White House chief of staff - that she would not back down in her demand to see the president.

Her success in drawing so much attention to her message - and leaving the White House in a face-off with an opponent who had to be treated very gently even as she aggressively attacked the president and his policies - seemed to stem from the confluence of several forces.

The deaths last week of 20 Marines from a single battalion has focused public attention on the unremitting pace of casualties in Iraq, providing her an opening to deliver her message that no more lives should be given to the war. At the same time, polls that show falling approval for Mr. Bush's handling of the war have left him open to challenge in a way that he was not when the nation appeared to be more strongly behind him.

It did not hurt her cause that she staged her protest, which she said was more or less spontaneous, at the doorstep of the White House press corps, which spends each August in Crawford with little to do, minimal access to Mr. Bush and his aides, and an eagerness for any new story.

As the mother of an Army specialist who was killed at age 24 in the Sadr City section of Baghdad on April 4, 2004, Ms. Sheehan's story is certainly compelling. She is also articulate, aggressive in delivering her message and has information that most White House reporters have not heard before: how Mr. Bush handles himself when he meets behind closed doors with the families of soldiers killed in Iraq.

BTW, the GOP slime machine has already started attacking Ms. Sheehan. No doubt some conservative will post the tripe being pushed by Drudge on this thread.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

But he is too busy to meet with Cindy Sheehan who is camping just outside of his ranch. Of the Many Deaths in Iraq, One Mother's Loss Becomes a Problem for the President BTW, the GOP slime machine has already started attacking Ms. Sheehan. No doubt some conservative will post the tripe being pushed by Drudge on this thread.

You mean the evidence that she's changed her story? That is what you consider an "attack"?

I am sure the President -- any President -- has more important items on his daily agenda than meeting with a war protester. If she's really adamant about meeting, she should call the WH and talk to the appointments secretary. Maybe she can get a few minutes between the bike ride at 5:15 p.m. and the barbeque @ 6:45.

 

[Professor Mouse]

Relying on "news" from Drudge is dangerous. Drudge is hardly ever right. Here is part of Cindy Sheehan's posting today about the drudge lies.

Another big story that was going on today was about my first meeting with Bush in June of 2004. For you all I would like to clarify a few things. First of all, I did meet with George, and that is not a secret. I have written about it and been interviewed about it. I will stand by my recounting of the meeting. His behavior was rude and inappropriate. My behavior in June of 2004 is irrelevant to what is going on in 2005. I was in deep shock and deep grief. The grief is still there, but the shock has worn off and the deep anger has set in. And to remind everybody, a few things have happened since June of 2004: The 9/11 commission report; the Senate Intelligence report; the Duelfer WMD report; and most damaging and criminal: the Downing Street Memos. The VERY LAST THING I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS IS: Why do the right wing media so assiduously scrutinize the words of a grief filled mother and ignore the words of a lying president?

 

[JoeEpcotRocks]

Relying on "news" from Drudge is dangerous. Drudge is hardly ever right. Here is part of Cindy Sheehan's posting today about the drudge lies.

Another war protester. Big deal. Dog bites man.

Her OPINION counts more than other families who lost someone in the war?? Another media play up.

 

[Tigger_Magic]

I would not believe Cindy Sheehan if her tongue came notarized.

Everyone has an agenda to pursue and her's is patently and sadly obvious. To use one's dead son, killed in action, to score political points digs a whole new low in partisan politics. More than anything else, I deeply pity Ms. Sheehan. She's turned her grief into bitterness and hatred and no matter who the target is -- that's simply terribly sad.

 

[Professor Mouse]

Here is a nice letter from 16 members of Congress urging Bush to meet with Cindy Sheehan. 16 Democrats call on Bush to meet mother of fallen soldier

Sixteen Democratic House members are calling on President Bush to meet Cindy Sheehan, whose son was killed in Iraq and is protesting outside Bush's Crawford ranch.

#
Dear Mr. President:

We write to respectfully urge you to meet with Cindy Sheehan and other relatives of fallen soldiers who request a meeting to discuss their deep concerns about the war in Iraq. We also request that you help ensure that Ms. Sheehan and her colleagues are not arrested as long as they continue to wait for a meeting with you at their location in the peaceable and legal manner that they have maintained thus far.

Since the loss of her son, Ms. Sheehan and other families have been committed to helping family members of other soldiers who have been lost in Iraq. Ms. Sheehan, in fact, founded Gold Star Families for Peace, a support organization for families of fallen soldiers. For several days now, she has been waiting outside your ranch, hoping to meet with you about the loss of her son and the failure to discover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Ms. Sheehan has indicated that she is planning to continue her vigil for the entirety of your vacation at your Crawford complex if necessary.

Given the recent tragic loss of American lives in Iraq, and the many deaths and injuries American troops have sustained since the beginning of the war, we hope that you can appreciate why the family members believe it so important that they exercise their rights as citizens to petition their government. We believe it would send an unfortunate message to other relatives and soldiers if grieving parents were arrested while exercising their constitutional rights.

Thank you very much for you assistance with this matter. We hope that you will be able to make time to meet with Ms. Sheehan and her colleagues and also ensure they are treated fairly while awaiting this important appointment.

Sincerely,

Reps. John Conyers; George Miller; Maxine Waters; Corrine Brown; Dennis Kucinich; Carolyn Maloney; Jim McDermott; Jim McGovern; Barbara Lee; Zoe Lofgren; Peter Oberstar; John Lewis; Bernie Sanders; Bob Filner; Micheal Honda; Raul Grijalva

Why is Bush such a coward? Bush hid from the Vietnam war and use his family's connections to keep him safe. Now, Bush is afraid to meet with a mother of a solider killed in Bush's war that has been proven to be based on lies. Republican leaders are mainly cowards and Bush is a fine example of this trait.

 

[transparant]

I would not believe Cindy Sheehan if her tongue came notarized.

Everyone has an agenda to pursue and her's is patently and sadly obvious. To use one's dead son, killed in action, to score political points digs a whole new low in partisan politics. More than anything else, I deeply pity Ms. Sheehan. She's turned her grief into bitterness and hatred and no matter who the target is -- that's simply terribly sad.

Ditto.

 

[oregonmousefan]

I wish he'd vacation away the rest of his term....somewhere unreachable.

 

[transparant]

Why is Bush such a coward? Bush hid from the Vietnam war and use his family's connections to keep him safe. Now, Bush is afraid to meet with a mother of a solider killed in Bush's war that has been proven to be based on lies. Republican leaders are mainly cowards and Bush is a fine example of this trait.

He DID meet with her Professor. As a matter of fact she was quoted as saying the following after that meeting: "I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis. I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."

 

[Professor Mouse]

I am sure the President -- any President -- has more important items on his daily agenda than meeting with a war protester. If she's really adamant about meeting, she should call the WH and talk to the appointments secretary. Maybe she can get a few minutes between the bike ride at 5:15 p.m. and the barbeque @ 6:45.

Maybe instead of sleeping through a CIA briefing entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Attack America" Bush could take time from his busy schedule of clearing brush and bike riding to talk to Cindy Sheehan. Bush has five weeks to work her in. This is after all the longest presidential vacation in modern history.

Bush is too much of a coward to meet with Cindy Sheehan. Again, the man hid from the Vietnam war and used his family's connections to get him into the Texas Air National Guard's champaign unit. Why do you think that GOP thugs will not let normal Americans attend Bush events (remember Denver) and why Bush had a gay male prostitute planted in the White House press corps to ask soft ball questions? These are the actions of a man who is all so brave.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Okay I am in NO way a Bush supporter but I just don't get what this mother is doing honestly. She has already met with the President once. Yes, she has said that the meeting was awkward and he really had no idea who her son was and really didn't want to listen to stories about him. That is a shame absolutely but what is she going to gain by camping out in the sun trying to score another visit? Her son is still going to be gone and she still won't be happy after she visits with the President. The so called press and media trying to attention to her story is nothing new but then again sadly her story is not new either. If she really wants to make a change then start lobbying and calling her reps and banding with other organizations. At this point I just feel sorry for her.

 

[wvrevy]

I would not believe Cindy Sheehan if her tongue came notarized.

Everyone has an agenda to pursue and her's is patently and sadly obvious. To use one's dead son, killed in action, to score political points digs a whole new low in partisan politics. More than anything else, I deeply pity Ms. Sheehan. She's turned her grief into bitterness and hatred and no matter who the target is -- that's simply terribly sad.

Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me ?!? How many times has the president used 9/11 for political gain ? This woman lost a SON to Bush's idiotic war, and you're really going to sit there in your comfy little office or home and insult her ?

Wow...Talk about sinking to new lows.

 

[BuckNaked]

Another war protester. Big deal. Dog bites man.

Her OPINION counts more than other families who lost someone in the war?? Another media play up.

I agree. I feel badly for her, but her opinion on the war is no more important than that of any other person that lost someone in the war. Let her sit in Crawford until the cows come home, if that's what she chooses to do.

 

[lyeag]

She had her time with the president. I am glad she thought it brought comfort for a while. She has every right to be angry- her son is dead. That is war.

Let's just imagine if every parent on both sides of the war thought they were entitled to a meeting with Bush whenever they wanted? Really, how realistic is that? The press is jumping all over it because they want to push their side. The Dems are jumping all over it because they can use it for their gain. I feel for her. I really do. Death can bring on a lot of anger no matter what the cause of death is. Placing the blame is part of the grieving process for some people, but this isn't doing her any good.

 

[BuckNaked]

Exactly, lyeag.