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Crawford-Bound Bush Slams Congressional Vacation
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ShareApril 03, 2007 1:53 PM
ABC News' Jennifer Parker Reports: With both the House and Senate in recess, President George W. Bush slammed the Democratic-led body Tuesday, saying Congress should get back to work.
"They need to come back, pass a bill," said Bush during a press conference about Congress' efforts to attach conditions for a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq to a war spending bill.
The President said Congress' traditional spring recess over Passover and Easter holidays has delayed the passage of emergency Iraq war funding.
"The Democrats in Congress … have left Washington for spring recess without finishing the work," said Bush. "They need to come off their vacation, get a bill to my desk, and if it's got strings and mandates and withdrawals and pork, I'll veto it and then we can get down to business of getting this thing done," he said.
The Senate will be out of session this week and the House will be gone from Washington for two weeks -- both this week and next.
Widely criticized as the 'do-nothing' Congress, last year's session met for fewer days than any Congress since 1948.
In fact, according to research by ABC News' John Cochran, under both Democratic and Republican leadership, the work schedule has gradually decreased: In the '60s and '70s, Congress met on average 162 days a year; in the '80s and '90s, 139 days.
Following the Democratic takeover of the House in the 2006 midterm elections, incoming Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., pledged a five-day work week for the House; that pledge, thus far, has not been kept.
"In a time of war, it's irresponsible for the ... Democratic leadership in Congress to delay for months on end while our troops in combat are waiting for the funds," continued the President, adding that the delay could result in the Army being "forced to consider cutting back on equipment, equipment repair and quality of life initiatives for our Guard and Reserve forces."
But getting into a spat over vacation time is risky business and Democrats insist Bush's criticism is misleading.
"We acted quicker than the Republican Congress has ever acted on a supplemental request on Iraq," said Drew Hammill, spokesperson for Speaker Pelosi, arguing that the Democratic leadership is continuing to work on the supplemental through the Easter recess.
Hammill also said it was ironic that Bush criticized the congressional Easter break only days before taking an Easter vacation of his own.
President Bush plans to spend Thursday through Sunday at his ranch for an extended Easter weekend.
This will be Bush's 63rd trip to his ranch since taking office. He has spent 405 days, either entirely or partially, at his ranch in Crawford, according to Mark Knoller, a CBS Radio White House correspondent known for keeping meticulous records of the president's vacation days.
In 2005, Bush was roundly criticized for taking a lengthy vacation of nearly five weeks away from the White House -- one of the longest presidential retreats in at least 36 years -- when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and left New Orleans engulfed in floodwater.
In a 2006 Washington Post article, former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Bush's response to Katrina was one of the most damaging events of his presidency.
"It caught a tired White House staff off guard," Fleischer was quoted as saying.
Perhaps smarting from the criticism, last summer Bush spent just ten days at his Prairie Chapel ranch in Texas, where he was dogged by anti-war protests led by Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a U.S. soldier killed in Iraq.
President Bush has also been criticized for not being attentive when he was on vacation at his ranch shortly before the 9/11 attacks.
On August 6, 2001, Bush was vacationing at his ranch when he was given the "president's daily brief" containing a two-page section entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US."
The President's sharp criticism of Congress didn't extend to members of the White House press corps.
"Hope you have a nice holiday," he said to reporters at the end of his press conference.
April 3, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (54)
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The independent, respected Congressional Research Service has said there is NOT a funding issue for the Iraq war until July. But this is just like Bush always does, he says anything--including not telling the truth--to try and make political points. Maybe he will come to his sense while he is on vacation on the strip of waste land he calls a "ranch".
Posted by: Bob | Apr 3, 2007 2:10:07 PM
Yah. I got a "ranch," too. It's on the second floor, with a balcony -- nice view. What does that moron grow on his "ranch," besides tiresome?
Posted by: Greg | Apr 3, 2007 3:03:32 PM
Maybe he will come to his sense while he is on vacation on the strip of waste land he calls a "ranch".
Posted by: Bob | Apr 3, 2007 2:10:07 PM
Bob we all been hoping for the past 6 years that would happen I wouldn’t count on it now …I was thinking maybe the country would be safer when he’s on vacation but his past record indicates that he is so incompetent it does not matter where he is…he can screw it up at home or away with ease…its is his one talent
Posted by: philadelphiakevin | Apr 3, 2007 3:12:48 PM
Once again the Decider shows his arrogant hypocrisy. How much longer must thinking people endure such utter perversion?
Posted by: Archie1954 | Apr 3, 2007 3:13:21 PM
Dubya's quoted as saying something about the "Democratic leadership" - not the "Democrat leadership."
Has he finally learned to speak English, or is ABC editing what he says so he doesn't sound like a complete idiot?
Posted by: DKB | Apr 3, 2007 3:16:44 PM
If Bush and Cheney think their unitary executive theory will hold water, then he should sign the bill and issue a signing statement that he's going to ignore the withdrawal and benchmark language.
Oh yeah, and considering that Bush has worked less than any president in recent memory, he's one to be calling people to get back to work.
What a putz.
Posted by: Leonard | Apr 3, 2007 3:21:21 PM
So far as I understand it, the only threat to funding has been made by Mr. Bush. If congress passes funding, and Mr. Bush blocks those funds with a veto, isn't he the one standing in the way. Sure, he'll have an excuse... "I voted against the funds before I voted for them."
Posted by: Andy | Apr 3, 2007 3:23:48 PM
PLEASE WAKE UP PEOPLE...IF YOU STILL BELIEVE OUR LIAR IN OFFICE, YOU ARE LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD...and now ABC is also pumping up IRAN NUKE scare...YOU THINK WE SHOULD BELIEVE ABC AND THEIR UNNAMED SOURCES?
Posted by: Doug | Apr 3, 2007 3:25:36 PM
How can we believe anything that comes out of this despot's mealy mouth?
Posted by: lawton watson | Apr 3, 2007 3:30:52 PM
This is a sick joke. The entire legislative power in our federal government rests with the Congress, but this president has the gall to tell Congress that if they don't do it his way, they didn't do it right. For that matter, why has the media been so complacent in allowing him to remove his veto from the equation? The fact is, Congress passed the spending he wanted and more; it's not Congress keeping this bill from becoming law, it's Bush's veto. Any impartial viewer sees this display for what it is: A spoiled kid throwing a temper tantrum because he didn't get his way. Mr. President, grow up.
Posted by: HiFi | Apr 3, 2007 3:32:05 PM
It is time that all members of congress do what everyone else does"work".
We have a prsident who flies somewhere nearly everyday. We have a vice president who does likewise.
It is hard to determine how many memberss of congress do the same. What a cost. Global warmin, I guess!
Another thing, I am tired of everything beiing Clinton's fault. The republicans must think a lot of Clinton. They try awfully hard to be like him.
Posted by: Franklin Louden | Apr 3, 2007 3:44:24 PM
This coming from a president that has spend more time away from the White House then any other in history.
After all we've seen from this failure should we expect any less?
Posted by: Com-n-sense | Apr 3, 2007 3:47:23 PM
Everyone knows Bush lies. They probably could use all those billions of unaccounted for money to fund the war. Make all of them empty their pockets.
Posted by: Franklin Louden | Apr 3, 2007 3:55:06 PM
Mr. Bush is certainly a DIVIDER not a uniter.
Posted by: Janay | Apr 3, 2007 4:06:25 PM
Blah Blah Blah...that's what the public hears when Bush is talking. He oughtta shut his pie hole. Everytime he opens it he loses more ground for Republican candidates in 2008. Not that he cares about his fellow Republicans but by all accounts he does care about his "legacy". His behavior reminds me of the last blasts of a bully just before he gets the bejeezus knocked out of him. That will be his legacy.
Posted by: bonifacia | Apr 3, 2007 4:08:19 PM
How dare you call it a waste land. Our chief is investing in "switchgrass technologies." How embarrassing, he actually manages to sneak in a partison attack on Pelosi visiting Syria during his press conference.
soon to be President Pelosi's right, "calm down with the threats."
Posted by: Julian | Apr 3, 2007 4:11:35 PM
It was the previous, GOP-led Congress that won the title "do-nothing". Not the current Congress led by a Democratic majority. This article is misleading in parts.
Bush is such a cheezeball to criticize Congress about vacation time, when he has taken more vacation time than any 4 presidents put together.
Posted by: David | Apr 3, 2007 4:14:20 PM
Bush is hurry to get to his "ranch" so that he will be there in time for his neighbor, Ted Nugent's, annual Easter Egg Hunt and Bunny Slaughter.
Posted by: polymer noyz | Apr 3, 2007 4:22:01 PM
The 110th Congress has already passed more important legislation since January then the entire 109th did in two years. They passed an Iraq bill, if Bush wants to support the troops all he has to do is sign it when it hits his desk. The rest is just more politics on the part of the White House. Mr. President the American People saw past this crap last Novemeber. It is time for you to catch up.
Posted by: Agjobs | Apr 3, 2007 4:23:31 PM
This article is dead-on by pointing out that this president, of all people, should not be criticizing others on timing or length of vacations. I'm wondering where he gets this idea that the Democrats are delying things by months. I hope he and Senator McCain are having fun in the dream world they live in where facts hold no sway over opinion.
Posted by: Austin | Apr 3, 2007 4:58:49 PM
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