"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." So goes the quote from the opening paragraph of Charles Dickens' novel A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens was of course using an invidious comparison of the events obtaining In England versus those in France during the closing years of the 18th century. For your amusement, dear reader, this humble blogster hastens to illustrate the continued use of invidious comparisons. One such example has recently found expression in the "Newspaper of Record", The New york Times in covering the present vacation by the current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
The smile on his face, along with a cheerful wave, offered an unmistakable sign of relief that he was getting out of town not a moment too soon[...]The White House press secretary said, “I don’t think the American people begrudge a president taking some time with his family that’s well earned and well deserved.”
One should not begrudge the chief executive a deserved break from his strenuous efforts to socialize the US society during a depressed economy, the unemployment rate approaching double digits , the skyrocketing budget deficit/national debt and deteriorating conditions where our military is engaged. After all, he remains in continuous control of the levers of power wherever he may be located; be it at Martha's Vineyard or a $1million dinner date in New York with his wife.
Be that as it may, note the following portrayal of a similar "vacation" by his predecessor. The New York Times, July 9, 2001, reports on George W. Bush's first summer vacation as president:
On Friday, as new unemployment figures [4.5%] painted a newly troubling portrait of the American economy, Mr. Bush placed himself in the same scenes--golfing and fishing in a New England paradise--that once caused his father electoral grief.
Can't these people at the "Grey Lady" learn the definition of the words "petty partisanship"?
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