Presidential vacations are nothing new: Harry Truman played poker and fished in Key West, Florida; Dwight Eisenhower spent his holidays blasting golf balls at a tree that is named in his honour at Augusta National; John Kennedy played touch football and sailed at the family compound in Hyannis Port, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, while George Bush senior threw horseshoes in the grounds of his home in Maine.
But even for a man famed for taking long, luxuriant holidays, this year’s presidential vacation is breaking records. When George Bush boarded Air Force One at Andrews air force base just outside Washington on Tuesday to make the journey to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, it signalled the start of nearly five weeks away from the White House, believed to be the longest retreat in at least 36 years.
The extended August break has drawn fire with Democrats accusing Bush of running away from a growing political scandal surrounding his chief political adviser, Karl Rove. In response the White House has spent much of the last week emphasising just how busy the president will be over the summer.
But less than five years into his eight years in office, Bush is closing in fast on the record set by Ronald Reagan who spent 345 days — nearly one eighth of his presidency — at his Santa Barbara ranch (”It just seems a lot easier to sort out a problem when I’m on a horse,” is how the Gipper defended his vacations in his autobiography).
This year’s getaway is Bush’s 49th visit to Prairie Chapel ranch near Waco, and the 319th day that he has spent entirely or partially in Crawford since he was sworn in, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS radio reporter famous for keeping better records of the president’s travel than the White House itself.
The president spent 27 days at his ranch in August 2001, another 27 days in August 2002, and 29 days in August 2003. According to the Washington Post, Bush’s pattern in those years was to disappear for the first week of vacation, reappear to attend an economic forum (2002) or to look at damage from forest fires (2002 and 2003), disappear again, then re-emerge for a few more political trips and possibly a fundraiser or two.
The pattern was broken last year when his holiday was slashed to two weeks because of fears that the electorate might turn it into a permanent vacation at the polls in November. The image of the president, already saddled with a reputation for being reluctant to work late nights (he is regularly in bed before 10pm) or weekends, lazing away August was not one Rove relished.
This year the White House, in an effort to nip criticism in the bud, has decided the president will make several public appearances early to emphasise that he is still on the job. There was a speech in Grapevine, Texas, on Wednesday while President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia was a guest at the ranch on Thursday.
The secretary of state, Condoleeza Rice, and the defence secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, are also due to pop by at some point for consultations — both will no doubt be hoping they do not suffer the fate of previous sweaty Cabinet members who have made the trek to the searing heat of Crawford and have been forced by the president to eat fried jalapeño peppers at the town’s only restaurant.
Bush told reporters on Monday: ”I have a busy couple of weeks down there.” The White House press secretary Scott McClellan rammed home the message. ”Spending time outside Washington always gives the president a fresh perspective of what’s on the mind of the American people,” he said. ”It’s a time, really for him to shed the coat and tie and meet with folks out in the heartland and hear what’s on their minds.”
But the apparently busy schedule — he is due to visit at least seven US states during his vacation — and PR offensive has failed to head off that other summer ritual: the baiting of the president for his long summer break. Bush’s relaxation requirements had a particular resonance last year after the Michael Moore film Fahrenheit 9/11 showed scenes of the president golfing, fishing and touring his ranch in the days before the September 11 2001 attacks. ”With everything going wrong, he did what any of us would do,” Moore intoned. ”He went — on vacation.”
The Democratic National Congress has accused Bush of running off to Crawford to try to escape from the growing political scandal surrounding Rove’s alleged involvement in a CIA leak case. ”The White House stonewalling operation is moving to Crawford for the dog days of summer, but they can’t hide from the legitimate questions dogging the president and his refusal to keep his promise and fire Karl Rove,” the DNC said.
In a reference to the fact most Americans only get a maximum of three weeks holiday a year, Damien LaVera, spokesperson for the Democratic National Convention, said: ”He might not be able to get along with our allies in Europe but he sure knows how to vacation like them.”
Bush’s holidays continue to get plenty of print and air time although one explanation might be that the group that suffers more than any other is the White House press corps. In the days when the commander in chief holidayed at Cape Cod (Bill Clinton) or Santa Barbara (Richard Nixon), correspondents would often take their families along for the summer. But the attractions of Crawford — population 705 and average summer temperature 37C (98F) day and night — are less obvious. Bush appears well aware of the antipathy. ”The national media will hate it” is what he told one group of senators about his holiday plans shortly after becoming president.
Bush likes to ride mountain bikes and scythe paths with a chain-saw through the brush while his idea of catering to the media is an occasional invitation to join him on the ranch for what he calls his ”100-Degree Run.”
But according to Stephen Hess, professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University, despite the criticism the president’s vacations do not cause much angst among the people. ”I don’t think the public gives a damn frankly. Most people think that a president should be allowed to re-charge his batteries like the rest of us.”
However, Hess also put forward an explanation that is less charitable towards the president or his office. ”There is a school of thought that things are better off anyway when our public officials go on vacation,” he said. ”That way they can do less damage.”
Except for Berlusconi, most leaders keep their breaks short
Russia
President Putin is expected to take no longer than two weeks for his summer holiday beginning in the next 10 days at his residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. He will continue to work informally, meeting with various heads of state. In 2000 he was pictured in the resort in short sleeves and when asked if he knew what had happened to the Kursk submarine — in which 118 sailors died — he said: ”It sank”. Opinion polls slumped and he cut his holiday short.
Italy
Prime minister Silvio Berlusconi takes a month off in August to go to his villa in Sardinia, but he has taken other lengthy breaks. Around Christmas 2003 he disappeared for a month and resurfaced looking young and healthy with the explanation he had had a facelift.
Germany
Although Germans are renowned for taking long holidays, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder seems to be an exception. Ten days into his two-week summer vacation at his home in Hanover, the chancellor returned to Berlin in time for president Horst Köhler’s announcement that he would allow early elections to take place.
Japan
Prime minister Junichiro Koizumi is busy with parliamentary debates over his postal privatisation Bill. He is expected to take a few days during the o-bon national holidays from August 13 but like many of his compatriots, a holiday of more than week is unthinkable.
France
Following the heatwave in the summer of 2003 in which thousands of elderly people died whilst the government was on holiday the French leadership is reluctant to travel far or for very long. President Jacques Chirac left on Thursday for the summer residence reserved for heads of state at the Fort de Bregançon on the Cote d’Azur. The prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, left on Tuesday to spend 10 days at a Britanny seaside resort.
Spain
Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero travelled to Lanzarote on Tuesday to stay in a villa in Teguise, popular with British tourists. The villa called La Mareta, which is owned by the state, was given to King Juan Carlos by King Hussein of Jordan, and is probably better described as a small palace. He is expected to enjoy a three week break.
Israel
Ariel Sharon does not typically go on holiday but relaxes at his ranch in the Negev desert, about an hour and a half from Jerusalem. Although not religious, he will retire to his Sycamore ranch for two or three weeks at a time during the major religious holidays.
South Africa
President Thabo Mbeki has not made a habit of taking long annual holidays. When not in Pretoria he is often flying off on shuttle diplomacy meetings in west and central Africa and going to international summits. He enjoys stays at the official residence in Cape Town. Three times a year he holds working retreats with his Cabinet.
UK
The Blairs take regular family holidays and usually go abroad for around three weeks in the summer. They take several foreign trips a year and have in the past chosen to stay at the homes of various friends. They have also enjoyed shorter breaks around the UK. – Guardian Unlimited