"Vacation"

The president is on vacation at his Texas ranch. And war mom Cindy Sheehan has drawn attention to the vacation this year by camping out in the vicinity. (As I post, Ms. Sheehan is tending to her mother, who's had a stroke. You're in my thoughts, Cindy.) Democrats and Progressives are making hay of this by trying to make the case that a vacation is a time of leisure and during a time of war the president needs to be on the job.

I rate this frame a C-. Here's why:

It misunderstands the purpose of the vacation. By vacating Washington DC for a significant period each year, W. shows his solidarity with the legislatures of many rural states. These legislatures don't meet year round for several reasons:

• Many members of the body are still tied to the land and need time away for farm or ranch-related tasks.
  
• Many members of the body are proud that being a politician is a part-time job. When they work their "real job" they meet real people and are better able to represent their concerns.
  
• A part-time body is seen as a more efficient body. It costs the taxpayers unnecessary dollars.
  

So, by taking his August vacation to "clear brush", "get out of Washington", and "meet with real people", the president is once again framing his image in ways that are comforting to his base. Attacking it as a vacation does not cause members of the base to pause.

Suggestions for improvement:

• Attack it as a vacation of Leisure. (To do: Read a book [Very Hungry Caterpiller]. Go to church. Catch up with old friends [Ken Lay?])
• Attack it as a vacation of Priviledge. Salon has called for calling the ranch an "estate" since it produces nothing.
• Leave it alone. There are so many other important things to keep the focus on.