CNN Finally States the Obvious

[General Zod]

At least Cafferty does.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Russia invades Georgia and President Bush goes on vacation. Our president has spent one-third of his entire two terms in office either at Camp David, Maryland, or at Crawford, Texas, on vacation.

His time away from the Oval Office included the month leading up to 9/11, when there were signs Osama bin Laden was planning to attack America, and the time Hurricane Katrina destroyed the city of New Orleans.

Sen. John McCain takes weekends off and limits his campaign events to one a day. He made an exception for the religious forum on Saturday at Saddleback Church in Southern California.

I think he made a big mistake. When he was invited last spring to attend a discussion of the role of faith in his life with Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, at Messiah College in Pennsylvania, McCain didn't bother to show up. Now I know why.

It occurs to me that John McCain is as intellectually shallow as our current president. When asked what his Christian faith means to him, his answer was a one-liner. "It means I'm saved and forgiven." Great scholars have wrestled with the meaning of faith for centuries. McCain then retold a story we've all heard a hundred times about a guard in Vietnam drawing a cross in the sand.

Asked about his greatest moral failure, he cited his first marriage, which ended in divorce. While saying it was his greatest moral failing, he offered nothing in the way of explanation. Why not?

Throughout the evening, McCain chose to recite portions of his stump speech as answers to the questions he was being asked. Why? He has lived 71 years. Surely he has some thoughts on what it all means that go beyond canned answers culled from the same speech he delivers every day.

He was asked "if evil exists." His response was to repeat for the umpteenth time that Osama bin Laden is a bad man and he will pursue him to "the gates of hell." That was it.

He was asked to define rich. After trying to dodge the question -- his wife is worth a reported $100 million -- he finally said he thought an income of $5 million was rich.

One after another, McCain's answers were shallow, simplistic, and trite. He showed the same intellectual curiosity that George Bush has -- virtually none.

Where are John McCain's writings exploring the vexing moral issues of our time? Where are his position papers setting forth his careful consideration of foreign policy, the welfare state, education, America's moral responsibility in the world, etc., etc., etc.?

John McCain graduated 894th in a class of 899 at the Naval Academy at Annapolis. His father and grandfather were four star admirals in the Navy. Some have suggested that might have played a role in McCain being admitted. His academic record was awful. And it shows over and over again whenever McCain is called upon to think on his feet.

He no longer allows reporters unfettered access to him aboard the "Straight Talk Express" for a reason. He simply makes too many mistakes. Unless he's reciting talking points or reading from notes or a TelePrompTer, John McCain is lost. He can drop bon mots at a bowling alley or diner -- short glib responses that get a chuckle, but beyond that McCain gets in over his head very quickly.

I am sick and tired of the president of the United States embarrassing me. The world we live in is too complex to entrust it to someone else whose idea of intellectual curiosity and grasp of foreign policy issues is to tell us he can look into Vladimir Putin's eyes and see into his soul.

George Bush's record as a student, military man, businessman and leader of the free world is one of constant failure. And the part that troubles me most is he seems content with himself.

He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, our citizens' faith in our own country ripped to shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.

I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.

Frankly it's about time the more mainstream media pundits started saying as much.

[cosmicalstorm]

What saddens me the most is that a lot of those things would probably make some people more interested in voting for him.

[The Spartan]

What saddens me the most is that a lot of those things would probably make some people more interested in voting for him.

What do you mean probably?

The word you should have used is 'will.'

[Darth Wong]

He will leave office with the country $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, our international reputation in shambles, our government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that his entire presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, our citizens' faith in our own country ripped to shreds. Yet Bush goes bumbling along, grinning and spewing moronic one-liners, as though nobody understands what a colossal failure he has been.

I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him.

Not only is John McCain just like him, but at least a third of the American people are too, if not more. That's the problem: with only a little tweaking, the above paragraph can easily be applied to the entire conservative political movement:

The last decade has left America $10 trillion in debt, fighting two wars, its international reputation in shambles, its government cloaked in secrecy and suspicion that the entire Bush presidency has been a litany of broken laws and promises, its citizens' faith in their own country ripped to shreds. Yet conservatives go bumbling along, mindlessly spouting tired talking points and poking fun at the stupid naive liberals, as though nobody understands what a catastrophe their own movement has been.

Americans voted for George W. Bush in 2000 because he was "one of us", as so many "heartland Americans" proudly said. His bank account contradicted that claim, but unfortunately, his intellectual ability did not.

[ArmorPierce]

Another funny thing is how people defends bush's constant vacation time. I saw one guy arguing that these vacations aren't actually vacations as much as they are working trips or working vacations.

[Darth Wong]

Another funny thing is how people defends bush's constant vacation time. I saw one guy arguing that these vacations aren't actually vacations as much as they are working trips or working vacations.

Did he provide any examples of things Bush actually accomplished while doing this vacation work? Did you remind him that brush-clearing in Crawford does not count as a presidential accomplishment?

[FSTargetDrone]

It's still more vacation time than most people take, even if they are "working vacations."

The man should be in the White House most of the time, or at least in Washington. An occasional weekend away? Fine. But 450+ days out of town, spent on the family ranch, whatever it is now, over a period of 7+ years, that's just disgusting. Especially for someone is supposed to be a public employee.

[Buddha]

How can a nation base the criteria of who will be the leader on whether or not he's "one of them"? Why not vote for a candidate by his position on taxes, healthcare, or somthing relavent. Vote issues and change...come on guys! Let's not blow it again.

[General Zod]

How can a nation base the criteria of who will be the leader on whether or not he's "one of them"?

Quite easily when the majority of the nation is significantly dumber than the chimp they're putting into office.

[Patrick Degan]

Another funny thing is how people defends bush's constant vacation time. I saw one guy arguing that these vacations aren't actually vacations as much as they are working trips or working vacations.

Oh yeah. Like that one during which the Chimp got this little memo on his way to the bass pond that morning about something insignificant. "Bin Laden Determined to Strike In U.S.", or something like that

[Darth Wong]

It would be nice to have a job where you can take a third of your time off and call it "working vacations".

[Mr Bean]

Ok, Bush does not work the weekend's because Congress does not, so we are down 832 of 2920 days during his Presidency. Lets say he takes 480 days off by his Presidency's end.
832+500=1332 days Bush was not being President.
Which means 45% of the time Bush has not been on the job, Which means he's worked on average a 3.81 day work week. Every week he almost but not quite manages to work 4 days. Except as President he can set his schedule, and you might say that if some major crisis came up he'd have to work long hours, except as Katrina proved.. not so much.

Or another way to put it, if he worked a full five days a week he could take a week long vacation every third week and still be under his 500 guesstimate. That's pure awesome.

[PainRack]

Bah. Don't you get it? The nation is at WAR! He's the WAR president!

[FSTargetDrone]

It would be nice to have a job where you can take a third of your time off and call it "working vacations".

Especially when it is a $400,000 US a year job:

As president, Bush makes $400,000 and gets additional money in various expense accounts. Cheney makes $208,100 and also has expense accounts. In September 1999, President Clinton signed legislation that increased the presidential salary to $400,000, effective January 2001. The Constitution prohibits pay raises for sitting presidents. This presidential pay raise was the first since 1969, when the president's salary was raised from $100,000 to $200,000. Adjusted for inflation, $200,000 in 1969 would be worth $930,232 today. On top of the salary and expense accounts, both the U.S. president and vice president are given free housing with plenty of amenities. The White House has 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, a movie theater, bowling alley, billiards room, tennis court, jogging track and putting greens. Bush also has use of Camp David, the presidential retreat. Cheney lives in Number One Observatory Circle, which has been the official vice presidential residence since 1974.

Why does he even need to go away on vacation? He's living in a damn palace.

[Ender]

Lets be honest here folks: Given his performance, do you really want him working more?

[Stargate Nerd]

I think a better question would be, how much vacation time Cheney had.

[Pulp Hero]

I think a better question would be, how much vacation time Cheney had.

I'm sure its been just like one big vacation for him. One big evil vacation.

[Mr Bean]

Why does he even need to go away on vacation? He's living in a damn palace.

It HAS 132 Bedrooms yes, but 119 of those were long ago converted into Offices for white house staff, Break rooms, some are storage rooms or server rooms. The actual Presidential apartments are much less than that. Perhaps twelve Bedrooms, three of which are historical IE Lincoln bedroom, and the public might take it amiss if you threw out all that "old stuff" to make room for a wicked sound room or some such.

In all due fairness to the White-House itself it's a building chock full of history, the area a President lives in(And can get away with changing) is rather small.

That said small in the sense he's only got the equivlent of a 4,500 Square foot Apartment block, not in the sense of he's not got the whole 55,000 square foot block to himself.

[Patrick Degan]

I think a better question would be, how much vacation time Cheney had.

The Undead don't take vacations.

[Glocksman]

I think a better question would be, how much vacation time Cheney had.

The Undead don't take vacations.

Undead?

Well, I guess Darth Sidious can be described that way in the EU.

[Slacker]

To be fair to McCain, I don't really think a failed marriage and divorce really need much explaination as to why they're moral failures. Not to defend the guy or anything, just trying to keep perspective.

[General Zod]

To be fair to McCain, I don't really think a failed marriage and divorce really need much explaination as to why they're moral failures. Not to defend the guy or anything, just trying to keep perspective.

What McCain doesn't want to explain is why he kicked his old wife to the curb for a younger, richer and prettier wife.

Although McCain suggested in his autobiography that months passed between his divorce and remarriage, the divorce was granted April 2, 1980, and he wed Hensley in a private ceremony five weeks later. McCain obtained an Arizona marriage license on March 6, 1980, while still legally married to his first wife.

[Coyote]

Although McCain suggested in his autobiography that months passed between his divorce and remarriage, the divorce was granted April 2, 1980, and he wed Hensley in a private ceremony five weeks later. McCain obtained an Arizona marriage license on March 6, 1980, while still legally married to his first wife.

[/quote]

Well, obviously he and Mitt Romney are a perfect ticket together that will play well in Utah, at least.

[FSTargetDrone]

In all due fairness to the White-House itself it's a building chock full of history, the area a President lives in(And can get away with changing) is rather small.

That said small in the sense he's only got the equivlent of a 4,500 Square foot Apartment block, not in the sense of he's not got the whole 55,000 square foot block to himself.

Heh, that's more than 4 times the size of the place I live in. Plus, I have to pay rent.

Like I said, I have no problem with him getting away for a weekend or whatever, but he's taken entirely much too much time on vacation, working vacations or otherwise.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Or Ronald Wilson Reagan who was still married but deviorcing from his first wife when he married an eight months pregnant Nancy.