The Day After -
WACO, Texas (AP) President Bush rolled out of his ranch at dawn Tuesday for golf and talk, saying he is thoroughly at home amid the outdoor play and work of his Texas vacation.
``I'm the kind of person who likes to be outdoors; it keeps my mind and my spirits up and it keeps me a balanced person,'' Bush told reporters moments before he teed off at Ridgewood Golf Club on a hill overlooking Lake Waco.
``I know a lot of you wish you were on the East Coast, lying on the beach, sucking in the salt air,'' the president said. ``But I love this place,'' he said of his 1,600-acre ranch up the road near the tiny town of Crawford.
``This is the house I will live in for the rest of my life,'' he said, speaking of his newly completed ranch house.
Bush said he was getting a lot of work done, both presidential business and the work he enjoys around the ranch. And he said that for him there is nothing like being home in Texas.
``Washington, D.C., is a fine place and I'm honored to be working in the Oval Office,'' he said. ``But I need to be outdoors. I think it's important to be outside and do work.''
The temperatures have been hovering in the 100-degree range by midday, and Bush, the state's former governor, was asked if he feels any political heat in Texas.
``I'm amongst friends in Texas,'' Bush replied. ``There is no political heat here. It's a lot more partisan in Washington, people dig in and fight.''
The president, who received his daily security briefing while his motorcade traveled to the golf course, said he is making progress on a number of issues.
August 7, 2001
The Day After the Memo
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/801/4wis7.htm
This is my second diary today building the dossier on Bush's vacation in August, 2001. Clearly, the press will not do it. Notice that on the Day After, he is receiving his security briefing on his way to the golf course. Guess he heard nothing that a little golf couldn't take care of. Clearly the briefing is a blip on the way to the putting green.
I believe that this vacation is the key to his downfall. That's why I have been posting on it over the weeks and believe that there is a potent angle here for Kerry. Just a careful ad that frames Bush's rich kid persona against the national security crisis of summer 2001. Golfing and fishing all of August 2001, like a preppy camper.