the man loves his vacations!

Vacationing Bush Poised to Set a Record
With Long Sojourn at Ranch, President on His Way to Surpassing Reagan's Total

WACO, Tex., Aug. 2 -- President Bush is getting the kind of break most Americans can only dream of -- nearly five weeks away from the office, loaded with vacation time.

The president departed Tuesday for his longest stretch yet away from the White House, arriving at his Crawford ranch in the evening to clear brush, visit with family and friends, and tend to some outside-the-Beltway politics. By historical standards, it is the longest presidential retreat in at least 36 years.

The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and Tuesday was the 319th day that Bush has spent, entirely or partially,
in Crawford -- roughly 20 percent of his presidency to date, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio reporter known for keeping better records of the president's travel than the White House itself. Weekends and holidays at Camp David or at his parents' compound in Kennebunkport, Maine, bump up the proportion of Bush's time away from Washington even further.

Bush's long vacations are more than a curiosity: They play into diametrically opposite arguments about this leadership style. To critics and late-night comics, they symbolize a lackadaisical approach to the world's most important day job, an impression bolstered by Bush's periodic two-hour midday exercise sessions and his disinclination to work nights or weekends. The more vociferous among Bush's foes have noted that he spent a month at the ranch shortly before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, when critics assert he should have been more attentive to warning signs.

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Until now, probably no modern president was a more famous vacationer than Ronald Reagan, who loved spending time at his ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif. According to an Associated Press count, Reagan spent all or part of 335 days in Santa Barbara over his eight-year presidency -- a total that Bush will surpass this month in Crawford with 3 1/2 years left in his second term.

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And some people still don't believe Michael Moore's assertion in F9/11 about bush spending 42% of his presidency (up until then) on vacation! This guy loves taking time off! I guess its all that "hard work" of being a president!
Ignoring reality and ignoring his job - 2 things that he does best!

Soundbitten compares this to Clinton:

President Clinton hated leaving the White House. During his eight years as commander-in-chief, he spent only 152 days on vacation. (Thanks for helping us taxpayers get our money's worth, Monica!)

President Bush, who is headed toward Crawford for the 50th time since his first inauguration, has already topped Clinton's record. By the time he completes his current holiday, he will have spent 319 days in Crawford. In addition, he also vacations at Camp David and Kennebunkport. On average, he logs more than nine weeks of me-time a year, surpassing the French (they average about seven weeks of paid vacation annually) and almost matching his daughter Jenna.

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