[lbo-talk] more Bush at work

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

Doug quoted:
> Guardian (London) - April 12, 2004
> 
> President spends 40% of time out of the office
> Gary Younge in New York
> 
> President George Bush has spent more than 40% of his presidency at
> one of his three retreats, sparking criticism from Democrats that he
> is not taking his job seriously at a crucial time in US history.
> 
> Mr Bush was on his 33rd visit to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, at the
> Easter weekend, where he has spent 233 days or almost eight months
> since his inauguration, according to a tally by CBS news. Add his 78
> visits to Camp David and five to Kennebunkport, Maine, and he has
> spent all or part of 500 days out of the office while in office.
> 

This is consistent with my theory that Bush a mere pawn, a brain-dead
Brezhnev or a Reagan, if you will, while the actual power is wielded by
his lieutenants.  

I would also add that this is hardly an aberration but a trend toward
new form of "leadership" - the "leader" being merely a figure head, a
spectacle for mass consumption, while the actual governing being
performed by bureaucrats behind the scenes.  This was certainly true
about x-USSR, Cuba, and more an more so about the US.  It is the 1970s
theory of "convergence" coming true in a rather twisted way - the xUSSR
is becoming more like the US, and the US - more like the x-USSR.

Wojtek