The Independent [UK] reports on Tony Blair's new "a day in the life" documentary. If only our President worked so hard. Let's compare:
Tony Blair signalled the end of his Christmas break with a video in which he confessed that he had probably broken the law by working too many hours. Unfortunately for Gordon Brown, he also implied that he would keep repeating the offence during 2006.
The video, entitled A Day in the Life - an exclusive insight into the PM's working life, was posted yesterday morning on the Downing Street website. In it, Mr Blair admitted: "The hours are very long. I've never actually totted up the hours I do in any week, it's probably not lawful under some directive or other." [Read more.]
And now let's look at the leisurely day of our very own leader:
In March 2004, Bumiller writes of the horrible rigidity of the President's day:
"[T]he president is generally awake by 5 a.m., when he has coffee and reads the newspapers in bed with his wife. By 7 a.m. he is in the Oval Office, where he makes calls, often to leaders overseas or his parents, before his national security briefing at 8.
"For the rest of the day, Mr. Bush is in more meetings -- with the National Security Council, his campaign staff, his domestic policy staff, his speechwriters. He often eats a lunch of salad alone while he channel-surfs in a small dining room off the Oval Office. He exercises in the White House gym, usually in the late morning or early evening. Either way, he's back at the residence around 6 for dinner at 7. The teetotaling president retires around 9 p.m., even when he has guests, and takes to bed a giant briefing book to read as preparation for the following day. Lights are out at 10." [Read more.]
Whew, just cutting and pasting that was hard work. I think I need to take a nap. No wait, it's almost ten, I should be getting changed and getting to bed. Laura, you coming?
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Note: Thanks to The Rude Pundit for preserving the Bumiller quote. And boo to the NYT for putting the Bumiller article behind a monetary wall. [Cross-posted at State of the Day with a funny picture.]