George W. Bush has roughly 200 days remaining in office.
This is probably not new information, given the number of Bush countdown clocks and calendars in circulation throughout the country, if not the world.
The end is near, but there is still plenty of damage "The Decider" could do in his last six months. That said, I'm not as worried about this as I used to be.
Does anyone else have the sense that Bush is just mailing it in now?
Granted, it's harder to tell if a president is on cruise control than, say, a co-worker, because you are not privy to the telltale signs:
The calling in sick (of work).
The two-hour lunches (expensed).
The disengagement (whatever).
The naps (with the door open).
You could really see evidence of GWB's tune out before he left on his Excellent European Vacation earlier this month.
Asked about the $4-a-gallon gas on his way out the door, Bush responded that the solution to the problem is to open up offshore areas and the Arctic to drilling.
Of course, experts say that might be of some minimal benefit 20 years from now, but Bush didn't mention that. He never was a details guy.
It wasn't what Bush said - he's always been an Of the Oil, By the Oil, For the Oil kind of leader - but the offhanded way he said it, which had an almost "Now watch me hit this drive" tone to it.
Another indicator that Bush is just playing out the string is his vacation - sorry - travel schedule for his final year in office.
He has already been to the Middle East, Asia and Europe, and overall has eight trips scheduled, including the Summer Olympics in China.
I can't recall Bush's exact words when he was asked if maybe he should not attend the games given what was transpiring in Tibet, but what registered was:
"Are you kidding me, I got great seats."
Of course, no one has ever accused Bush of being a White House workaholic. He usually takes bikes rides at lunch, quits early and is in bed by 10 p.m. (His life could be more boring than mine.)
One of the things Bush has been very good at, which kind of ties in with his new embrace of foreign travel, is vacationing.
Sure, it can be argued that a president is never really on vacation, but in Bush's case you could almost argue that he is never really not on vacation.
According to Mark Knoller, a CBS White House reporter who keeps meticulous records, as of this past March, Bush has totaled 452 vacation days (about 1 1/3 years worth) during his seven-plus years as president.
This eclipses the previous mark set by Ronald Reagan of 436 days, and is one of those records, like Cal Ripken's 2,632 consecutive games, which may never be broken
Rather than criticize Bush as he pursues his presidential "Bucket List" in the dying days of his tenure, perhaps we should be thankful he is not fully engaged.
Maybe the best course at this point is to just let sleeping presidents lie.
Comments
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karl_rubis (Karl Rubis) says…
Despite the obvious bias of the author, this editorial is a bit overblown especially in lieu of the recent success wrt to the achievement of getting North Korea to deconstruct and reduce its nuclear weapons capability. An accomplishment previous presidents were never able to achieve. This significant step should not be overlooked and most likely won't be in retrospect, despite the anticipation of some to see the next administration inaugurated.
cato_the_elder (anonymous) says…
I don't think any Hollywood late-show comedy writers are worried of being replaced by this guy. And, Karl Rubis, your thoughtful post is appreciated, especially by those who have the intelligence to understand that a presidency can only evaluated with the test of time.
Weezy_Jefferson (anonymous) says…
Ha-ha! I love it! I can tell that the message really hit home with some Bushies, too. Isn't it just like them to take offense, no matter how clear and true the picture is?
mancityfooty (Corey Williams) says…
"...but their columns are reasoned, thought-provoking, and original." Yes, you can always count on Cal "I'm the moral majority" Thomas to write a well reasoned editorial. At least they don't print Michelle Malkin's spew.And Tom, next time why don't you talk about the topic that you quoted on rather than trying to change the subject. Did Mark Knoller lie about how much vacation time Bush has taken? But you took offense at the fact that it was brought up...you wanted to say something about it...but all you could come up with was, "Two words: Dan Rather." Wow.And as for the idea that "this editorial is a bit overblown especially in lieu of the recent success wrt to the achievement of getting North Korea to deconstruct and reduce its nuclear weapons capability." All they did was destroy a cooling tower on an old nuclear plant. They are dismantling the rest of it. And for this they get: "President Bush announced that Washington was removing North Korea from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism, and issued a proclamation lifting some sanctions under the Trading with the Enemy Act."
yourworstnightmare (anonymous) says…
Bush is running out the clock, that much is clear.Thanks to Robert Gates and Condi Rice for possibly the greatest foreign policy success of the Bush administration: getting North Korea to dismantle its enrichment programs through diplomacy.While a success, it also puts in stark relief the majority of Bush's foreign policy disasters. Why did Bush not use diplomacy earlier and more often? Oh yeah, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Wolfowitz.Just weeks ago Bush compared those who would use diplomacy with state enemies to Nazi appeasement. It was deeply dishonest of Bush to use foreign affairs as a political bludgeon, but this is not new with Bushco.
beatrice (anonymous) says…
"Yet, every negative thing to come out of the whitehouse is ****DI-rectly**** pinned right smack on Bush' chest."We could choose your alternative -- blame Bush for absolutely nothing. I'm glad that Obama will soon be replacing him.
mancityfooty (Corey Williams) says…
"... thus proving the corrupted liberal media will not give Bush credit for *annnnnything* that is even of the slightest of potive news. And they remove annnnny and all reference to Bush accordingly as the news becomes even better.""I admit it: the liberal media were never that powerful, and the whole thing was often used as an excuse by conservatives for conservative failures." William Kristol."The truth is, I've gotten fairer, more comprehensive coverage of my ideas than I ever imagined I would receive." "I've gotten balanced coverage and broad coverage -- all we could have asked: For heaven sakes, we kid about the liberal media, but every Republican on earth does that." Pat Buchanan.
ASBESTOS (anonymous) says…
"Of course, experts say that might be of some minimal benefit 20 years from now, but Bush didn't mention that."ALL of the energy experts say that increasing supply and disengaging the American National oil production from the world production will reduce the price. Only an idiot would believe that crap that these reserves would not decrease the price.
uncleandyt (anonymous) says…
Let's let lying Presidents sleep...in jail. To be fair to our former coke-freak/ current?Jesus-freak Leader, Bush is a puppet. He is a frontman for big business interests. "History" calls that arrangement Fascism.