March 25-31, 2004
slant
The president should catch some Zs.
George W. Bush recently issued a warning to those involved in the proliferation of nuclear weapons. "We will find you," he said, "and we’re not going to rest until you are stopped." This is not the first time he has had to resort to such drastic measures. While critics have said he is too quick to go to war, few mention how quick he is to put his own relaxation on the line.
Two days after the 9/11 attacks, Bush said, "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden … and we will not rest until we find him." In November he repeated his pledge, saying, "We will not rest until we bring these committed killers to justice." That’s more than two years without taking a rest. No wonder he often appears addled -- the guy must be exhausted.
Bush also has pledged that "we will not rest" until: "every business has a chance to grow"; "every person in America who wants to work can find a job" (a brave declaration from a man governing over the loss of more jobs than any president since Herbert Hoover); and "our economy is strong." We can let him catch a few Zs on the last one, if "our" means his close personal friends. But if "our" includes the millions of Americans with depleted savings, inadequate health insurance and grim career prospects, he had better put on a pot of coffee.
Bush also has said, "We will not rest until we’ve reformed and strengthened the Medicare program itself, so that a prescription drug benefit is available to every senior in America." I know a few senior citizens who aren’t sleeping because of that one either, and that Medicare legislation isn’t making them any drowsier.
The president has even said, "We will not rest until we have a full accounting … of POW/MIAs." Here he might actually be overextending himself. If he can’t account for his own whereabouts as a National Guardsman in the 1970s, what chance does he have of finding POW/MIAs?
The president’s commitment to solving these problems before he rests is admirable, but with shorter workdays and more vacations than any president in modern history, he doesn’t give himself much time to do it. Most presidents are workaholics; George W. Bush has more downtime than my cat.
So what does he do after 5:05 p.m. every day? And what about weekends? Well, $150 million in campaign donations doesn’t just raise itself. And those vacations are "working vacations." Even before 9/11 (actually, just two weeks before 9/11), on day 25 of the longest presidential vacation in three decades, Bush took a break from his yard work to describe a typical day at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. "I got up at 5:45 a.m.," he said, "read all the stuff I needed to read, and then took off at about 7 a.m. with a little run, got back to the house about 7:45 a.m., and we had a CIA briefing for an hour and a national security briefing. Both of them took an hour. Then we came down here and started working. And this will be it. Probably finish about 12:15 p.m. or so."
Well, that sounds like a full day, working almost straight through from early in the morning until … quarter past noon?
But what about those other goals? Are the millions of people without jobs just lollygaggers who don’t want to work? And as far as every business getting a chance to grow, well, a few businesses have grown a lot, but most businesses … not so much.
Then I had a chilling thought. Was he lying about the whole "we will not rest" thing? Was he kicking back while Osama bin Laden was running around and all those jobs were disappearing? No -- bend the truth a little, maybe, but outright lying? Not George W. Bush.
The poor guy must have insomnia. He isn’t proclaiming his resolve; he won’t rest because he can’t. It might even be genetic. He never says "I will not rest," he says, "We will not rest." Who else can’t sleep? His brother Jeb, for one. Introducing the president to a crowd in Florida, Jeb said, "I can speak on behalf of all the people in this room that we will not rest until you carry Florida and you get re-elected."
If it is the election that’s keeping George W. Bush awake, he’s going to be tired when it’s finally over, a deep-down tired that won’t be healed by short workdays, long weekends, working vacations at the Western White House, or by anything less than the easy lifestyle of an ex-president.
And if George W. Bush is serious about solving these other issues, he will need to take serious action. He’s going to have to hold his breath.
Jonathan McGoran is a local freelance writer. If you would like to respond to this Slant or have one of your own (850 words), contact Howard Altman, City Paper editor in chief, 123 Chestnut St., third floor, Phila. PA 19106 or e-mail altman@citypaper.net.
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