If we had hired Bush he wouldn't be collecting benefits

Bush isn't dumb, we are if we permit this administration to continue.

As posted earlier today he is on vacation or working from home over 40% of the time. It seems that he is out politically campaigning and raising money, not running the country, around half the other time.

Bush "has traveled more extensively than any of his predecessors, taking 416 domestic trips during his first three years.

"To place this in a more meaningful context, Bush out-traveled President Clinton (302 domestic trips) who, by many accounts, was thought to be the most political of presidents.

"More interestingly, Bush has spent the bulk of his time in swing general election states — the 16 states that were each decided in 2000 by the narrowest of margins — 6 percent of the vote or less.

"One post-midterm-election account reported that Bush brought in more than $144 million from 67 receptions in 34 states and the District of Columbia.

"Beginning with the Nixon administration, the White House initiated what has become an ongoing accumulation of outreach offices designed to enhance the president's electoral prospects (e.g., the Office of Communications, Political Affairs, Public Liaison, Intergovernmental Affairs, and most recently, the Office of Strategic Initiatives - a Bush invention).

"Along with a host of unexpected duties that crop up on a daily basis in the West Wing, these entities keep their political antennae attuned to key constituencies and developments that may affect the president's electoral prospects.

"In addition, the hiring of pollsters and political consultants to advise the president on an ongoing basis has only accentuated the White House focus on politics, resulting in the now familiar phrase, "the permanent campaign."

"So while many observers lamented the start of a Democratic nomination process that began early in 2003, they would be wise to acknowledge that the president's campaign began even earlier, January 2001."

Looks like he is spending less than one third of his time running the country - he should not be getting a full-time salary and he is not entitled to benefits. On the other hand, would we want him as a full-time President if Iraq is an example of what happens when he focuses?