Escape from Washington

It has been noted by the mainstream press that President Bush is on his 50th visit to Crawford, Texas. Outraged liberals have wagged their finger at the President, alleging he’s spending too much time away from Washington. Some liberals even suggest that the President going to Crawford in 2001, caused the September 11th attacks. This makes sense as the President of the United States frequently personally kills terrorists hijacking airplanes—in Harrison Ford movies.

There’s a great misnomer about the Presidential vacation. The President doesn’t take vacations like the rest of us. Bush doesn’t go to his ranch or Camp David and let the country take care of itself. He receives briefings from national security advisers, meets foreign leaders and the job of the presidency gets done.

I not only disagree with the Democratic attacks on the President, I’m quite thankful that the President goes back to Crawford. There was a story in the news recently that this administration has had fewer State dinners than any in history. Taken together, it tells us a lot about this President.

The Non-Love Affair With Washington

Washington is an impressive city in many ways: its monuments, the halls of Government and the trappings of power are quite seductive. This isn’t what President Bush is all about. At his core, the President is a man of middle American Texas values. He’s not impressed with Washington’s self-important social class or the Washington culture of hypocrisy and back-stabbing.

The President needs to get away, so he goes home to his favorite place, his Crawford ranch. There he goes about every day tasks like clearing brush and driving a pick-up truck. Its in these activities that a powerful man keeps his focus. He keeps his eye and his heart on that home and never loses his soul to the political battles around him, like so many in Washington do.

Its where the President develops relationships with World leaders as he invites important people to meet him away from the hustle and bustle of Washington. Suits and ties aren’t required as the President focuses on understanding and building relationships in a comfortable setting.

The Lost and Wandering Couple

This contrasts with the last administration. In more than 20 years of married life prior to Hillary Clinton deciding she wanted to be United States Senator from New York, the Clintons had never owned their home, living in taxpayer-provided housing from for 19 of the 21 previous years.

Though, President Clinton talked about a place called Hope, he rarely visited Arkansas after he got elected President. He had little reason to: he had no home there. He preferred the luxury of the high life at Martha’s Vineyard or vacations at exotic tropical locales.

Clinton spent his time glad-handling Hollywood and kissing up to Washington big wigs. Bill Clinton talked about a lot of things, but delivered on few of them, as holding on to Washington power became his biggest priority. He had no core values because he had no reference point. In 1992, he ran on a tax cut for the middle class, but by the end of the Administration he was telling us that average Americans couldn’t be trusted to spend tax cut money properly.

Now, even out of office, he hungers for the spotlight, doing anything and everything to keep in the news. Bill Clinton ignored the old tradition of former Presidents being silent on the actions of their successors. Instead he pushes himself into every issue he can, jets around the world, and hobnobs with celebrities to boost his self-importance.

Against the superficiality of Bill Clinton, stands President Bush. Bush is a man with a real family, life, and a marriage,. Like most good Presidents, Bush probably look towards the end of his administration as much as George Soros does.

He won’t feel the need to constantly opine and Monday Morning Quarterback in retirement. The President will spend his time practicing his faith, spending time with his daughters, his wife, and his aging parents, and enjoy living in the one place that in the midst of Washington life reminded him of the things that mattered most.

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