Excerpt on Presidential vacations
JIM LEHRER (Newshour, editor): How do you -- oh, the president went out to -- went off to Martha's Vineyard.
I mean, it's now kind of a line that is used to disparage the president. How do you feel about that?
RUTH MARCUS, Washington Post columnist: Well, I -- in my human hat, the guy needs a vacation. All presidents deserve a little bit of time off. They never really are off. They're always getting briefed. You saw the pictures with John Brennan, the counterterrorism adviser. Give him a break, right.
JIM LEHRER: Today -- it was released by the White House today.
RUTH MARCUS: Yes. Isn't that funny?
JIM LEHRER: Isn't that funny? Yes.
RUTH MARCUS: I don't think we're going to see him windsurfing.
In my pundit hat, of course he shouldn't be doing this. No political adviser is going to tell him to go on vacation with the economy in this shape, and particularly -- if they were going to pick some place for him to go on vacation, I do not think Martha's Vineyard would be the top choice.
MICHAEL GERSON, Washington Post columnist: Yes.
RUTH MARCUS: But there you have it.
MICHAEL GERSON: It should be the Jersey Shore, I think. It would be the more appropriate -- yes.
RUTH MARCUS: Down the shore, as we say in Jersey.
JIM LEHRER: Well, you worked for George W. Bush, Michael. I mean, what is the -- how do you fit this whole thing -- it always comes up.
No matter who the president is, whenever he goes on vacation, they take a hit. Why?
MICHAEL GERSON: Well, I think it's an easy political hit.
And I completely agree. I have seen presidents close up. They need vacation. And they don't really get a vacation. It doesn't matter, because they're constantly dealing with security briefings and other things. So it's an illusion anyway.
So, I don't begrudge the president that. But, I mean, the political advice here is just bad. This is a -- it's a beautiful place. It's a wonderful place. But it's a playground for the rich and famous on vacation. And we have an economic crisis, as the president acknowledged during his own tour. And I think the symbolism here, I just -- no political adviser would want this to be the symbolism.
JIM LEHRER: Of course, the Congress is on vacation as well.
So, you could -- could you read this, if you wanted to -- wanted to read -- if you were a pundit, say, and wrote columns in newspapers, would you say that, you know, we have this big financial and economic crisis, and yet the government is all on vacation?
RUTH MARCUS: That's not a vacation. That's a district work period.
JIM LEHRER: Oh, I see. I...
(LAUGHTER)
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