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President Bush delivered his weekly radio address today. The subject was, once again, the economy. The President and First Lady are spending the weekend at their ranch in Crawford TX. Today, they took a short trip to Midland TX where they visited his boyhood home. They also attended a barbecue fund raiser for several Texans running for Congress. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held talks Saturday in India on a visit to showcase a landmark bilateral nuclear deal, but last-minute hitches derailed the scheduled signing of the pact. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

In his radio address today, President Bush sharpened his attacks on the Democratic-controlled Congress, blaming it of being partially responsible for high gas prices and urging lawmakers to facilitate new oil exploration. The president and Mrs. Bush are in Crawford this weekend. (I wonder if he called 41 and said "Dad, it looks like your choice of Qualye will ne longer be viewed as the worst VP pick in recent history.")

President and Mrs. Bush Saddened by Death of Zambian President Levy MwanawasaLaura and I are saddened to hear of the passing of Zambian President Levy Mwanawasa. President Mwanawasa was a champion of democracy in his own country and throughout Africa. As President of Zambia, President Mwanawasa launched a sweeping anti-corruption campaign and dedicated himself to improving the welfare of all Zambians. As Chairman of the Southern African Development Community, President Mwanawasa worked tirelessly to uphold the values of good governance, speaking out against human rights abuses and threats to democracy when many others were silent. On behalf of the United...

The President is spending a few days at his ranch in Texas and Gordon Johndroe, a spokesman for the National Security Council, updated reporters in Crawford today on international events that President Bush in monitoring from his nearby ranch. Vice President Dick Cheney visited the Georgian Embasssy in Washington. Pray for President Bush -- Day 2896

CRAWFORD, Texas -- The president's 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford, Texas, is all gussied up for this evening's wedding of Jenna Bush to long-time boyfriend Henry Hager. President Bush will walk his daughter down the aisle before about 200 friends and family members in a very private outdoor ceremony. The festivities got under way last night with a rehearsal dinner hosted by the groom's parents in the tourist town of Salado, Texas, about 54 miles from Crawford. There'll be a barbecue lunch today back at the ranch. The father of the bride uses his weekend radio chat today to pay tribute...

Groom, many guests of one wedding will be on call for another - that of the president's daughter Saturday, May 10, 2008 WEST — Nora Bartosh has been waiting for her wedding, scheduled for today, for the past six years. Now, the 34-year-old West drugstore clerk is worried that a president's daughter could steal her groom and thus her special day. The groom, all eight groomsmen and about 150 of the guests work in McLennan County law enforcement. That leaves Bartosh hoping that everything goes smoothly in and around President Bush's Crawford-area ranch today as first daughter Jenna says her...

White House seeking a retraction from NYT: Bush was 'on vacation in Texas' Fri Feb 10 2006 09:46:25 ET NEW YORK TIMES’ Eric Lipton today writes that President Bush was “on vacation in Texas” on August 30th but their own reporter filed a pool report that day from San Diego where POTUS giving a speech on the War on Terror and was visiting soldiers and families of the fallen. Sources tell DRUDGE that the original story filed by Lipton did not contain the sentence about Bush being on vacation and that it was added by an editor. The White House...

CRAWFORD, Texas — For six days, President Bush has stayed in nearly complete isolation on his ranch here — just mountain-biking and brush-clearing, the White House insisted daily, and seeing only one visitor, his mother-in-law, Jenna Welch. He never even ventured into this little town of 600, not even to the cheeseburger joint that he often uses as a political tool to show that he is in touch with his neighbors. But on New Year's Day, after a brief stop at an Army hospital in San Antonio to visit wounded soldiers, Bush is scheduled to return to the White House...

Notice how almost every news station, whether local or national threw in a little jab at Bush my mentioning that he cut short his vacation by two days because of the hurricane. This is nothing new, the media loves to stick it to Bush because he is nothing like their darling, Bill Clinton. What the media is trying to do is portray Bush as uncaring and lazy, a President who would rather hang out on vacation than help the American public. I find it funny that when LBJ invited the German Chancellor to his ranch for some bbq, the media...

Our Experts Debate Whether Bush Is Spending Too Much Time on the Crawford Ranch Aug. 26, 2005 -- President Bush is on pace to spend more time on vacation than any other president in modern times. Today is the 342nd day he has spent at least some part of the day at his ranch, which means he's spent almost an entire year of his four and a half years in office at the ranch. That doesn't include time he's spent at his parents' place in Kennebunkport, Maine, or at Camp David. If he stays at his Texas ranch until Sept....

With anti-war protesters continuing their vigil outside President Bush's ranch, the commander in chief began a five-day push Saturday to tell Americans why he thinks U.S. troops must continue the fight in Iraq. In his weekly radio address, Bush argued that the war in Iraq will keep Americans safe for generations to come. He'll try to drive the point home with speeches in upcoming days in Utah and Idaho. "Our troops know that they're fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere to protect their fellow Americans from a savage enemy," the president said in the recorded broadcast. "They know that if...

Singin' The Crawford Blues By Lisa Fabrizio August 18, 2005 If it's August and the press is languishing in Crawford, Texas, it's time for the annual Bush vacation media bash. This means that unless there's a kidnapping or runaway bride story to hold the nation's interest, the media will instead launch into their favorite summer pastime; turning the president's visit home into a four-week sentence of derision and contempt. The media seem not only offended that the president has the audacity to take a month off but that he persists in doing so in the middle of media nowhere. Unlike...

If it's August and the press is languishing in Crawford, Texas, it's time for the annual Bush vacation media bash. This means that unless there's a kidnapping or runaway bride story to hold the nation's interest, the media will instead launch into their favorite summer pastime; turning the president's visit home into a four-week sentence of derision and contempt. The media seem not only offended that the president has the audacity to take a month off but that he persists in doing so in the middle of media nowhere. Unlike Bill Clinton who, until he left office, had no private...

Today President Bush spent a quiet morning at the Ranch, and then in the afternoon he left for a fund raiser at a neighbors Ranch. The Presidents motorcade drove past the gathering of left wing extremest who are camping out near his Ranch denouncing his policies and protesting operation Iraqi Freedom and therefore supporting our enemies.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Our beloved mainstream media are complaining that President Bush is spending too much time at the "Western White House" in Crawford, Texas. Their stories about his "vacation" make it seem as if he's not doing a whole lot. But a closer look reveals that the president is working hard -- the Fourth Estate just doesn't bother to cover what he's really doing. Continues... ============================================================= Democrats enjoy Near-Life experience "Once a U.S. president wins a second term," writes Ian Bremmer in the International Herald Tribune, "his job becomes more difficult. Allies and rivals at home and abroad can...

President Bush, joined by senior members of his administration held talks on defense and foreign policy issues at his ranch in Crawford, Texas and just before lunch the President accompanied by his team met with the press. Enjoy your visit to Sanity Island

Sweltering in August and swarming with grasshoppers, the Prairie Chapel ranch in Crawford, Texas, isn't everyone's idea of paradise. But a captive press corps and a slow summer news cycle are allowing President Bush to use the Crawford backdrop to push his agenda.... Operating from... the "Western White House," Mr. Bush devoted last week to touting his legislative success in pushing a Central American trade agreement through Congress as well as a bankruptcy overhaul bill. On Monday, Mr. Bush extolled the administration-backed energy bill. Yesterday he praised highlights of the economy, and today he will speak about the recently passed...

PRESIDENTIAL NEWS OF THE DAY: With the President, First Lady and the dogs relaxing at the ranch this weekend, there are no new photos to post. So I've selected a theme -- GWB and our Armed Forces -- and found many photos to let us enjoy a walk down memory lane. The theme photos are all from early in his presidency. They show GWB's closeness with our military both before and after 9/11/01. THE WEEK AHEAD: Monday, the President travels to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He will be touring the Sandia Laboratory there, and then will be making remarks after signing...

"The Associated Press story included a candid quote from presidential counselor Doug Sosnik: "This is a guy that has never met an idea that he doesn't like, never met a person who's not interesting and never found a place in the world he wouldn't want to go." As the GAO study shows, he also never met a tab he didn't want the taxpayer to pick up."

President George W Bush welcomes Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe to his ranch in Texas, they went for a drive, held a private meeting, and then held a joint press conference. After lunch they spent the afternoon discussing regional security and diplomatic issues. Further background can be found at President Alvaro visits Crawford Vice President Dick Cheney is leading a delegation to Saudi Arabia to pay respects to King Fahd (no photos or report to be found almost as if there is a media black out on this). This is strange in 2 respects one no photos and that all reports...

GRAPEVINE, Texas -- On the first day of his monthlong "vacation," President Bush yesterday used a speech to a conservative group to lay out an expansive agenda he wants Congress to take up after lawmakers return from summer recess. Fresh from legislative victories in Washington on energy and trade bills, the president urged the Senate to quickly confirm Supreme Court nominee John G. Roberts Jr. He also pushed for swift action on his immigration and Social Security plans, as well as reform of the tax code.

CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush has turned his remote ranch into a stage for down-home diplomacy, where a barbecue grill and a pickup truck have become his favorite tools for dealing with world leaders. The 1,600-acre property in central Texas is a place where aides say the president feels most comfortable and can spend more get-to-know-you time with his guests than in hurried Washington. On Thursday, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe will be the 14th foreign leader to visit the ranch. Bush's dog once wandered through a press conference with the Australian prime minister. The president led the Saudi crown prince...

washingtonpost.com Vacationing Bush Poised to Set a Record With Long Sojourn at Ranch, President on His Way to Surpassing Reagan's Total By Jim VandeHei and Peter Baker Washington Post Staff Writers Wednesday, August 3, 2005; A04 WACO, Tex., Aug. 2 -- President Bush is getting the kind of break most Americans can only dream of -- 33 days away from the office, loaded with vacation time. The president departed Tuesday for his longest stretch yet away from the White House, arriving at his Crawford ranch in the evening for five weeks of clearing brush, visiting with family and friends, and...

WACO, Tex., Aug. 2 -- President Bush is getting the kind of break most Americans can only dream of -- 33 days away from the office, loaded with vacation time. The president departed Tuesday for his longest stretch yet away from the White House, arriving at his Crawford ranch in the evening for five weeks of clearing brush, visiting with family and friends, and tending to some outside-the-Beltway politics. By historical standards, it is the longest presidential retreat in at least 36 years. The August getaway is Bush's 49th trip to his cherished ranch since taking office and the 319th...

Kerry Will Restore American Dignity 2004 Iconoclast Presidential Endorsement Few Americans would have voted for George W. Bush four years ago if he had promised that, as President, he would: • Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits. • Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay. • Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent. • Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their...

President Hosts Defense Strategy Meeting By Donna MilesAmerican Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2004 — The world has become a safer place, thanks to the United States and its coalition allies who are leading the world in the war on terror, President Bush told reporters today following his annual defense strategy meeting at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Following a far-reaching meeting with key defense advisers, including Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs Chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, Bush cited successes in the war on terror: the Taliban seriously weakened, former Iraqi dictator Saddam...

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — President Bush and first lady Laura Bush are involved in a little he-said, she-said business here at the presidential ranch.He's working on the acceptance speech he'll deliver in two weeks at the Republican National Convention. She's working on one she'll deliver earlier at the convention. "One of the things he'll stay in touch with staff about over the next few days is the convention speech," White House press secretary Scott McClellan told reporters here Thursday. "While, of course, he'll talk about the clear differences that voters face, it'll very much be a forward-looking speech talking about...

When it comes to the president, one phrase the White House hates to use is: "On vacation." It conjures up an unflattering image of a chief executive with his feet up and the phone off the hook - ignoring the responsibilities of his office. Of course, it's a myth. American presidents these days can get away from the Oval Office, but not its responsibilities. The burdens of the job follow him wherever he goes - including his ranch in central Texas. A CBS News tally shows that President Bush is now making his 38th visit to his Prairie Chapel ranch...

Ronald ReaganHE TURNED A HUMBLE CALIFORNIA ABODE INTO THE WESTERN WHITE HOUSE AND HELPED A NATION BELIEVE IN ITSELF AGAIN By Reid SlaughterCowboys & Indians, July, 2001 A dense fog hung over the Santa Ynez Valley on the morning of August 13, 1981. As a sizeable army of expectant journalists untangled their gear and readied for the moment, Secret Service agents dragged two pieces of leather-bound patio furniture out onto the gravel driveway. Then, from the doorway of a small, 100-year-old   adobe house, wearing blue jeans and cowboy boots, the leader of the free world emerged.Ronald Reagan, just...

The President and his family spent Easter Sunday at the Chapel at Fort Hood and then visited soldiers at the Darnell Community Hospital. President Bush held a joint press conference with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, at his ranch Monday, April 12, 2004 in Crawford, Texas, discussing Sharon's plans for the Gaza Strip, among other subjects. The President left for the Waco airport shortly after the completion of the press conference, and flew home to the White House. The President announced that he will hold a press conference in the White House, Tuesday night, at 8:20 PM EDT.

Pilots of private aircraft face increased restrictions while flying in portions of McLennan County during President Bush's weekend visit to his ranch near Crawford. Restrictions for aircraft have been expanded from 10 to 30 nautical miles around the Bush ranch, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The limitations will affect activity at 14 public and 22 private airports in Central Texas ranging from Lake Whitney State Park to Temple's Draughon-Miller Airport. Included in the area are the Waco Regional Airport and McGregor Executive Airport. A standing prohibition exists of aircraft flying within a 10-nautical mile radius of the president's home....

Somewhere in the middle of the Texas flatlands about 100 miles from Dallas, just as you pass Lake Waco, the earth takes a dip and woods spring up on either side of the road. Except for the tell-tale dryness of the earth, you feel like you've entered another state altogether. Then a clearing reveals a grain elevator with a sign on the top announcing "Bush Country." Soon you are passing humble clapboard houses with pigs and vehicles in the front yards and a trailer house to the side, until you find yourself at a railroad crossing and the top of...