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Let me just get something in the open right now: A presidential vacation isn’t the same thing as a vacation taken by a normal working Joe. Most presidential vacations include some type of work and will usually involve meetings, briefings, conferences, and meals with dignitaries. The Crawford Ranch was outfitted to be the White House Lite, and George W. Bush took that very seriously.
Over the course of the next several presidential administrations, I intend to document the number of golf games, days off, and actual vacations that the current president indulges in. The days will be categorized thusly:
- Basketball games (including the reason and people participating)
- Days away from Washington D.C. and the reason why
- Days taken to be with family, and if any meetings with foreign or domestic leaders took place
- Golf games (treated the same way as basketball and other games)
- “Date nights” with the First Lady
As of right now, research still needs to be done so that I can accurately include the number of days already taken and the reasons why, but starting today all vacation days will be tallied here under the tag: “Presidential Vaca.”
I want to do this the right way, and I want to treat it honestly. President Obama has as much right as anyone to get some time off work. I don’t envy him the stress of being president, and if going to Martha’s Vineyard for a week to play golf is what it takes to keep him in the mindset of running the country, then have at it. Having said that, I think it’s worth keeping track of vacation days taken, if for no other reason than to make sure that a president isn’t being given a pass for behavior that got other presidents constantly slammed.
I welcome your thoughts, help on finding the material I need to actually do this project, and any criticism that might make this better.
Bring it on 🙂
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Cricket's Chirps 
#1 by Green Beard the Canuck on December 2, 2010 - 11:38 pm
You do realize there’s golfing and then there’s “Golfing”. I’ve played a few “Golf” games with clients and associates from time to time. More like a working lunch than a break. I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I think you should take into account who he’s golfing with before you write it off as entirely entertainment.
#2 by Cricket on December 3, 2010 - 12:55 am
That’s why I put the caveat in there that I would take into account the circumstances of each vacation before I categorized it 🙂 Working vacations are not, by definition, vacations.