ABC: Is the President Taking Too Much Time Off? (Maddow takes the left)

[Rose Siding]

snip>
The White House has said the vacations "clear his mind," "it allows him to get back in touch with real America" and "he's earned it."

But with the average American receiving just two weeks off a year, are the president's lengthy vacations justified?

Rachel Maddow, a liberal radio show host who has her own show on Air America, and Joe Watkins, a conservative commentator who worked in the White House of the first President Bush, debated Bush's vacations today on "Good Morning America."
...
Watkins: "I don't know any American that would say this is a vacation — meeting with world leaders, being briefed every day, giving major speeches, signing legislation, traveling to other states. I mean, this is a busy guy. His vacation sounds like work, and it is."

Maddow: "The White House has gone to great lengths to make us all think that the Crawford ranch is a little White House, but it is really not. I mean, listen to the president himself talk about it. He says, 'I'm going fishing with my man, Barney. I'm taking a nap. I'm reading Elmore Leonard.' There are pictures of him fishing, clearing the brush and doing all this stuff. Meanwhile, the mothers of soldiers killed in Iraq are literally camped in a ditch outside his house waiting to meet with him, 68 soldiers died in Iraq since he has been there, the economy is in shambles, we have the biggest budget deficit, we have two wars going on … I find it embarrassing as an American."......MORE.......

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=1070529&page=1

[henslee]

1. No, the President is not taking too much time off his vacation.

[ironman202]

2. lol!!!

[damntexdem]

3. Oh, I think that he should take more time off:

say from August 26, 2005 until January 20, 2009.

[delete_bush]

4. who cares. He is ineffectual and dangerous

regardless of where he is and whether it be work or play.

As far as I'm concerned he can spend the rest of his term at the pig farm.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

5. The average American gets two weeks?

I don't know anyone who has gotten two weeks since the 70's. I had 1 vacation in the last 9 1/2 years.

[KeepItReal]

7. You can accrue 2 weeks...Just try to take it all at once

You may not have a position to come back to.

[TomInTib]

6. "clear his mind" of WHAT? n/t

[TheDebbieDee]

8. I said the same thing when I read it!

[OKDem08]

9. his two remaining brain cells?

:bounce: :bounce:

[geniph]

13. Clear WHAT mind is what I immediately thought

As far as I'm concerned, the worthless little shitbag can stay in Crawford until he rots.

[ultraist]

10. There's a poll on that page! 82% say, "too much time off." lol

The poll is in small print, just beyond the second paragraph of the article in the blue box: "Related: Vote: Needed Break or Excessive Time Off? "

[ultraist]

11. dupe

[[e-mail]]

12. he needs

to retire